Eternal Ties
by LiYaNa1995
Summary: After losing their child years ago, Saruhiko and Misaki got the shock of their lives when the Strain who helped them before managed to perform a miracle once more. Though they are happy for the second chance they got, a criminal however, had been listening in and decides to burn their happiness to the ground no matter what it takes. A sweet family tale, with a surprising twist.
1. The Meeting

(peeks) Hello everyone, I'm back after such a long time of hiatus, so sorry about that. I'm now busy taking animation and multimedia in college which leaves me little to no time to update, but I'll still try my best to please all of you.

Also I got a stupid-ass flamer on my previous story, but forget about that useless clintsquiggle shall we? (smiles)

I got the idea after a short while of finishing my previous story but I decided to write everything down first, to get rid of whatever loopholes and whatnot. But being so busy nowadays, I just don't have the time to even go through my writing, and that's rather sad actually. I'll still try my best though, so please bear with me and go easy, I also have assignments after all... (zombified)

This is the first installment of Eternal Ties, and there won't be much Saruhiko x Misaki action in this, but the next chapter will be up soon since I've..actually finished it, not the story though, just the chapter (laughs).

Please, I hope you take your time to read this and enjoy to your fullest~

* * *

Times have passed for Shizume City, the Golden King had died some time ago and Japan is still grieving for their once greatest mind. In one small part of the city, a young teenager with jade eyes and waist-length brown hair stares out her room's window, her body glowing a gentle brown-green light. Her adopted parents had gone out for work, leaving the girl to do whatever she wants, so she decided to get in tune with her powers and see how powerful it had become. Her adopted parents don't know this, and she's adamant on keeping her powers a secret from them.

Reaching into her psyche, she focuses on one small spot where everything is warm and white, the space there is also pulsing albeit extremely weak. Sweat slowly drips down her forehead as she continues to concentrate. A few weeks ago she had noticed 'someone' calling her, and with her powers being extremely powerful, she manages to connect to that person only to have herself being pushed backwards. Ever since then, she had been trying to make a successful connection.

Today she seems to have hit a breakthrough as the forces repelling her out is unable to push her away. Having powers almost similar to a God is scary and burdening, but this might be her only and last chance to bring happiness to those two young men. Pushing her psyche in further, she manages to grasp at the gentle light.

_Take me home._

Opening her eyes, she could feel an odd sensation from deep within her circle of power, though not uncomfortable. The light, the soul of that child is now in her grasp; all she needs now is the vessel to hold that soul that had once been lost. "Your parents have lost hope in your existence, but they believe your spirit will linger in their memories," the girl says with a gentle smile. Despite still being rather young, she has developed the mind of an adult and is wise beyond her age.

"Though fear not, young one. I have gotten you from the safety of the angels' wings, and I will return you to the very place you are supposed to be," she continues as she feels the pulsing warmth from within her. The soul is warm, inviting and extremely grateful for what she had done; this fuels her determination to find the two couple once more. "I will need help, I am not sure where they are," she says with a click of her tongue.

Turning her gaze away from the city, the girl in the sea foam green sundress went out of her room and heads down the bungalow's grand, marble staircase and towards an antique phone. Making sure that she is completely alone, she dials a number she had known so well. The connection was made, and the line beeps for a while before it was picked up.

"Megumi-chan, you haven't called us in a while, I thought you had forgotten about us," Ayame's voice could be heard on the other side, playful and mischievous as ever. Megumi smiles slightly at the tone; her adopted sister hasn't changed a single bit, only her voice has gotten more mature and an octave lower. She always does have the voice of an alto singer and is always pleasing to the ears.

"You know I'd never forget about you and Yua-oneesama, you two raised me and fed me before I was adopted, I'm forever grateful to you," Megumi replies with a small chuckle. The two exchanged pleasantries for a while before Megumi reveals why she called. "I have made connection with the wandering spirit today, and I need yours and Yua-oneesama's help to track them down since I don't know where they've moved to,"

She could hear a sigh on the other hand and some rustling sounds, Ayame must be in a tree again. "You know retrieving a wandering soul is way beyond your capacity. Maybe you're just delusional given the fact that you still can't let go of the thought that you had killed their child by not telling them," Ayame says in a hushed tone as if comforting Megumi. The young girl stands rigidly when she heard that and tries not to get her emotions in the way.

"I was a child myself back then, and my course of action was not to hurt their hearts but I grew out of that, and my powers had grown too. My abilities far surpassed most Strains when it comes to spiritual, I am practically imbued with God's power," Megumi says sharply into the phone, hoping that Ayame would at least understand her position. The woman is actually highly intelligent, but she hid that intelligence under a large amount of innocence, mischievousness and being extremely air-headed.

Another sigh comes from the phone and Megumi shivers a little, knowing quite well that Ayame is highly displease of her. "We Strains are those who cannot become Kings, not Gods! Your powers are strong but blessing is all that you can do, you have shown us more times than we could count! There is little to no chance you can get that soul back, it just isn't possible!" Ayame raises her voice causing the young girl to flinch.

"Maybe I was supposed to be reborn as a God or something, but that didn't happen and the Slate gave me powers such as one, nobody knows for sure," Megumi shot back earning a growl from the other side. "Please, Ayame-oneesama, I don't ask for much only that I need the help from the both of you. It can bring them eternal happiness if I do this," Megumi continues quietly. There was no response from Ayame, making the girl think that the woman had left her but a soft noise on the other side of the phone crushes that thought.

Another soft growl could be heard before being replaced by a sigh. "Fine, if that's what you think you did, I suppose we can track them for you. Just know this, Megumi. You are not a God and if this doesn't work, you are just going to continue crushing their hearts. They just got over the child's death, and you bringing this up isn't a good idea,"

"I will take my chances, and I know this will work," Megumi answers back confidently. Ayame made a small humming noise before the line disconnects and she's left on her own again. The girl's body glows brightly again, as if accumulating her powers before she bursts them out in an explosion of shockwaves. If Ayame and Yua were to have their senses heightened, they could feel the waves. "You will be in a safe place again, your mother and father await you," she says with a gentle smile.

Far from Megumi's home and right between Homra and Scepter 4's territory is a rather luxurious semi-d house area, situated in a private housing area where a special identification is needed should someone wants to go in. The area itself is rather large with a children's playground in the middle of it and a building to accommodate a gym and a pool. With plants and trees to provide shade and good security system, it's one the most wanted living area for people all over despite the cost that could reach up to nearly half a million. In one of these houses lives the Fushimi couple, where people never question their relationship as one of them looks highly identical to a girl.

Working as a top Scepter 4 agent, Saruhiko easily makes money and just loves bringing Misaki for some out of country travel even though he's not proficient in English to begin with. Misaki on the other hand doesn't want to trouble him and is an instructor at one of the skateboarding rink nearby, though he doesn't make as much money as Saruhiko, he's still glad to at least be able to cover some expenses on his own. Saruhiko will always pout and whine when Misaki decides to pay something because he believes that the one in charge should be handling all the financial problems, Misaki highly disagrees.

This couple, despite loosing their child a few years ago, still manages to stand strong and support each other through and through. They know that deep down, their child is alive somewhere they can't reach, and to them knowing that their child, knowing Ryuu is alive is enough for them. Every year they would pay respect to their child by bringing flowers to his grave and tell him of the adventures they have, at least to make the atmosphere lighter and to stop the continuous cold grip on their hearts.

As for their respective clans, they had ended their feud when Izumo and Seri got married not a couple of years ago, but even so the awkwardness between each other still remains. The couple had gone to their wedding and congratulated them, but many people could see the sadness behind their eyes as the wedding also reminded them of the child they could not have in their arms.

Today, as usual, Saruhiko is off at work while Misaki took his time to nurse his injuries obtained from his time at the rink. The blue clansman had advised him to quit his work but Misaki just likes it too much, and that he'd hate himself if he just stays at home and do nothing. Saruhiko clammed up when Misaki had said that and left the matter alone. "Those kids ought to watch where they're heading before they crash into someone," the crow hisses as he applies some antibacterial liquid on his elbow while keeping his hair out of his face.

"And you ought to know that closing your windows can avoid robbery," a voice continues behind him. Startled out of his wits, the crow turns around to meet a young woman with yellow-green eyes and shoulder-length curly hair, the very same curly hair he can never forget. "Really, Yatagarasu, that was a stupid move," she says as she leaps in through the opened living room window.

Her eyes widen when she realizes something the moment her feet touches the ground. "Oh wait, I forgot. You're no longer _Yata_ Misaki, but _Fushimi_ Misaki, I should get that through my head," she says with a small hint of teasing. The crow could see that she had grown a few inches over the years, her bangs swept to the side of her face and her clothes more matured as it consists of a plain, sleeveless white shirt and ¾ jeans. Her knee-length brown boots are clutched to her arms as she prances in.

"Ayame, where'd you come from and how the hell did you find me here?" Misaki hisses venomously to the woman. She pouts a little at the tone and plops herself down on one of his sofa as if the house belonged to her. It's not that Misaki hates the woman; it's just that she tends to get him and Saruhiko into all sorts of trouble and sometimes drag a reluctant Yua along.

Sighing, she shifts a little in her seat and stares at Misaki seriously causing the crow to flinch a little. For all he'd known, Ayame rarely takes things serious. _I guess she matures over the years too_, he thought. Inclining her head to another nearby couch, Misaki did as he was told and sat down. Whatever she wants to tell him, it must be rather big until even she's this tense, he could see how her body is more rigid and her posture looks as if a predator is on to her.

"I don't even know where to begin with this one, so I'll start from your question to break the ice," she starts off, her eyes gentler and less tense. "The whole reason I can find you is thanks to Yua's powers. Ever since she ties those bonds, we have your body's signature body wave that acts like waves on water, a never-ending pulse that acts like a beacon on where you both are,"

Misaki could feel the bells in his head screaming at him when he found out about how they managed to track him and Saruhiko, but Ayame held her hands up before he gets too panicked. "The only one who can really track you down is Yua, she's the one who tied the both of you together, remember? The only thing I can do is see whether your bonds are in the white zone or not," she continues and he relaxes himself. "And it was Megumi who sent me here to you,"

Hearing the little girl's name sent Misaki's heart leaping to his throat. It was because of Megumi he got pregnant, and he could feel a small sliver of hope on having a child again but then he remembered how she said her blessing only comes once, so his hope practically got crushed before it got too high. "Why? It's not like she can bless me like she did before, right? If she wants to know how we're faring after our kid died, then just tell her we're fine and she don't have to worry," Misaki answers robotically, his hair covering part of his face so his eyes are shielded from Ayame's gaze.

The woman however, wouldn't have any of that and went over to him before slapping him on the cheek, startling the man. He could see her gaze on him is hard, cold and merciless and that if she were to rip his soul out at this time, she wouldn't have any regrets at all. "What is wrong with you? Megumi was just a child back then, her powers were underdeveloped and weak despite you thinking how powerful it was," how ironic, that's what she said earlier and now she's eating her own words. "Her powers grew, Yatagarasu, and she managed to reach your child's soul and saved it from an eternal wandering,"

His eyes widen when he heard that news. Rubbing his cheek, he noted how it had hurt so this proves that he's not dreaming. "You're saying that...Megumi got Ryuu's soul back? But how? And why? I don't get any of this," the crow cries out. He wanted to believe the news, yet it's just so unbelievable that his mind is starting to pound just from thinking about it.

"If you want to ask questions, you and Fushimi should go to Megumi instead, she has all the answers given how this is her powers. Hell, even I got some things to ask too, this is too surreal even for me," the woman sighs and hands him a piece of paper. "That's her address and phone number, call her before you drop in like I did,"

And with that, she leaps out of the window and ran off before she's seen by the guards, leaving Misaki to his thoughts and emotions on whirlwind.

* * *

Short, but I hope I made you excited for the upcoming chapter. Next up, we'll have some sweet delights of some Saruhiko and Misaki regarding Ryuu's matter as they talk about it over dinner. It'll be up.. Soooooonn.. (laughs)

Also, WHO HERE LIKES SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN?! (starry-eyed) I love Levi..and I don't care he's short~ He's badass and awesome and everything amazing wrapped in one, if only his attitude would adjust a notch..haha.. Also, listen to irojiro's bass playing skills on youtube for the SNK opening, it'll BLOW you, not in a dirty way of course (laughs).

Sorry for the slight change of topic, next chapter coming up soon!


	2. The Persuasion

(yawn)~ Goodness I'm sleepy.. I got so many things going on right now that I just don't know what's what anymore. Anyways, I've come to a conclusion to update this once a week now, given the fact that my schedule is all over the place and that my laptop does not, I repeat, DOES NOT have Microsoft word, I'm at war with this blasted piece of machinery. But I'm glad you guys enjoyed the previous chapter, and that it managed to pique your interests (bows). So now I present to you chapter 2~

This will feature Saruhiko and Misaki only, so prepare your squeals and such, just not too loud though (laughs).

* * *

For the remaining of the day, Misaki is at war with himself as he tries to wrap the simple fact that Megumi managed to find Ryuu's soul around his mind. He thought that fishing a wandering soul is impossible as there are thousands, if not millions of wandering souls in the world both from the past and present. "To have Ryuu's soul in her grasp, that's crazy talk," he mumbles out from her perch on the couch. Saruhiko is yet to come home, and now he needs to find a way to tell him without sounding like he's crazy.

"How am I going to convince him when I don't believe this myself," he hisses and throws a nearby pillow to the wall. Ryuu, sweet, baby Ryuu who never even got the chance to meet the world. Misaki could still remember his giggles, the feeling of their skins touching, the smile that was once enveloped in warm, gentle light. Without even realizing, his cheeks are wet from his slowly dripping tears.

The couple actually never healed completely from loosing the very person whom they've come to treasure. Every time they went out and saw children running around calling for their parents, they're reminded of Ryuu and the wish to be called 'mama' and 'papa' surges through their hearts. What hurts most for Misaki is when they would pass nurseries, daycares, baby stores or even a group of expecting mothers. It only enhances the desire to hold his own baby in his arms. Saruhiko did as best as he could at consoling him, but even such isn't enough.

And now, hearing the very same person who gave them the life actually managed to save it, it was too much for Misaki. _Maybe what Ayame said was right? Maybe Megumi's powers really did grow and went beyond the point of just blessing? And she was so serious earlier, so the news must be true or else she won't even go through all the trouble to find me and sneak in! _He thought in rapid fire. Slowly but surely, he's starting to believe what Ayame said was right and that the soul is with Megumi.

Getting up from the couch and drying his tears, he starts to pace around the living room, mind everywhere and nowhere at once. He'd have to wait until Saruhiko gets back to tell him the news, and he's not sure if the younger man would believe him or not given the fact he was never fond of Ayame and Yua in the first place. Misaki is rather impressed when he found out from Saruhiko that the girls are one of the most famous Strains in all of Shizume, mainly because of their tricky and sly nature and also because they managed to evade Scepter 4 for so many years now, another reason why Saruhiko is annoyed at them.

Looking at the clock, Misaki sighs lightly when he found out that there are still some time left before Saruhiko would return home, that, and also he needs to cook dinner for them both as the blue clansman can be quite irritating when he's hungry and tired. Misaki learnt that the hard way when he forgot to cook dinner once, it was like taking care of a bratty toddler in a form of an adult man. It was crazy!

Just the thought alone makes the male twitch in irritation so he heads to the kitchen to prepare something. At least by cooking he can take his mind off of Ayame's news and the irritation that is Saruhiko. He loves the other man, honestly, but his attitude doesn't change much as he still loves to rile the crow, clicking his tongue at his superiors, sleeping on the job and even not handing his paperwork on time. Reisi doesn't even seem to care but Misaki could sense that Seri is at her bursting point after having to deal with Saruhiko all these years.

_Fushimi is highly capable, it's just that he gets on my nerves by not doing things I told him to do_, she once had said with a defeated huff while at bar Homra. Izumo only laughed at her while Misaki listened quietly from his perch on the stairs. He doesn't blame her for wanting to kill Saruhiko with her bare hands; actually, he'd love to help hide the body if possible. But life just seems more interesting and colourful when Saruhiko entered, so he might not do the deed after all.

Picking up pans, bowls and other materials, he starts to cook whatever he could find from the refrigerator, hoping there are enough for the both of them since Saruhiko needed all the food he can get what with the intense training going on at Scepter 4. The blue clansman had gained some muscle and his posture had grown wider and more toned whereas Misaki stays slim and petite, hence why people don't question about their relationship. One glance and everybody would think that they're a pair of man and woman instead of two men living together. Two _married_ men living together.

Then all of a sudden without any warning whatsoever, Misaki was practically glomped from behind by an ever enthusiastic Saruhiko. The blue clansman made it a habit of his to return home without telling just so he could surprise Misaki and drop in on him when he least expects it. "Misaki," he purrs into the screeching shorter male's ears. "I'm home,"

"I can see that you crazy monkey! Let go of me! You almost made me drop the chicken and made my heart stopped!" Misaki cries out as he tries to pry Saruhiko's arms from around his waist only to no avail. Much to his horror and surprise, the arms are now trying to snake their way into his pants and under his shirt. Feeling the veins on his head throb, Misaki puts down whatever he's holding on the counter and with all the strength put behind his legs, he pushes himself and Saruhiko backwards and fell on top of the tiled floor.

Groaning, the blue clansman tries to regain his composure when he felt his wrists being pinned on either side of his head by a pair of slim hands. Looking up, he could see a displeased-looking Misaki glaring at him, his chestnut-coloured hair falling on each side of his face and curtaining them from the outside world. Saruhiko grins teasingly when he sees their position. "My, my. Is my beloved Misaki going to take the lead today? Because it'd be amazing if you'd just sit on my d-..."

"Let's not even go there, not in the mood for your hormones," Misaki replies back in a rather snappish manner. Saruhiko only pouts when the other man gets off of him, already missing the comfortable weight on his chest and stomach. "Besides, I got dinner to cook, and you reek with whatever dump you decided to roll in today," the crow continues with a grimace. Saruhiko quirks a brow at that and sniffs his upper arm causing Misaki to make a disgusted noise and shooing him away from the kitchen.

"I don't smell that bad," the taller of the two whines and clicks his tongue as Misaki pushes him away and up the stairs towards their bedroom. "And I just got back, you told me some time ago not to take a shower when my body's still sweating. Something about white blotches appearing on my skin if I do that?" he continues as they arrive at the bedroom. Wordlessly, Saruhiko tosses his saber onto the mattress and takes off his jacket, leaving only his shirt, vest and pants on. Misaki huffs as he starts to undo the vest's buttons as Saruhiko keeps his glasses away.

"Like I said, you reek, stink, and smell. Whichever word I say they all hold the same meaning and DON'T try and backtalk me," Misaki quickly interrupts when Saruhiko opens his mouth to say something. The taller of the two purses his lips and smiles a little at Misaki's growing cleverness. After years of living together, Misaki is now able to pick up a little when it comes to Saruhiko's unpredictable attitude. And to Saruhiko, that's just fine, perfect actually.

Gently, Saruhiko lifts his hand to graze the back of his fingers gently against Misaki's cheek as the crow takes off his vest. Brown eyes grew wide in surprise and his cheeks glow a slight rosy red as Saruhiko continues to caress him lovingly. The icy blue eyes hold such gentleness that's only reserved for Misaki, no one else had seen his eyes like that except when the couple are in emergency situation and needed someone's help.

Slowly, lovingly, Saruhiko continues his ministrations until he feels Misaki relaxing completely under his touch. The crow's eyes are drooped low as if in a trance and he tries to pout and being his normal, brash self but Saruhiko's gentle moves completely overpowered him. The blue clansman tries not to chuckle when Misaki nudges his cheek towards Saruhiko's like a cat begging for more attention, and attention Saruhiko gave. "Say, Misaki...why don't you come into the tub with me and give me a massage?" the blue clansman purrs languidly.

Like a magician snapping his assistant from a spell, Misaki snaps out of his content state the moment Saruhiko said that and throws the vest at him. "You'd think I'd do something as insane as that? Stupid monkey, I told you that I got dinner to cook and you've been eating like I haven't fed you in days for the past few days!" the crow screeches out as he stomps out of their bedroom in a huff. Saruhiko stood there, completely perplexed and stunned, but then he broke down laughing as Misaki shouts vehemently for him to shut up from the ground floor. The blue clansman hums lightly as he enters the bathroom, content with teasing his 'wife' for now.

Back downstairs, Misaki turns off the fire and sets the plates onto the table, though his mind still reminds him of the comfortable feeling of being in Saruhiko's arms. They're always so strong, so warm and protective, like nothing from the outside could harm him should he stay in Saruhiko's arms. _But I don't want to depend myself on him too much, he'd tease the hell out of me. Besides, that sounds like too much trouble_, the shorter male thought. Despite being a full grownup, he still thinks that sometimes he has thoughts of an adolescent; insane, immature and sometimes, just utterly stupid and idiotic.

Checking over the dishes, Misaki smiles in triumph and with a press of a button at the end of the rounded table, a shield encircles around the food to preserve the heat, effectively trapping them inside so that it doesn't go cold. "Good, now to make sure that the monkey doesn't accidentally drowned himself in the bathtub," he mumbles to himself with a small, irritated twitch. Making sure the doors and windows are sealed tight, the crow heads upstairs towards the bedroom but stops and stares when he arrived at one of their extra rooms.

The room is painted a beautiful sky blue to make it look spacious with birds, mostly crow, littering the upper part of the wall. Saruhiko and Misaki agreed that this room is dedicated to their lost child, hence why the room is also filled with baby things they had gotten from the baby shower such as a crib, plush toys, clothes, storybooks, and even a rocking chair. They had set up a small wardrobe to put the baby's clothes, shoes and pacifiers, even had some pictures of small, baby animals up the wall along with glow-in-the-dark stickers on the wall. Despite knowing that their little one will never be with them, they kept everything neat and tidy, cleaning and dusting the room every week to ensure that everything is in top shape.

Just then, Saruhiko pokes his head out of their bedroom door when he senses Misaki standing not a few feet away from him. "Misaki, you want to take a bath? The warm water's still there and..." the blue clansman stops talking when he finally realizes why Misaki is awfully quiet. His blue eyes widen a fraction before drooping down in a rather sad manner. The room is their life to them, as Ryuu might not live with them physically; the room is practically what's kept his soul alive all these times. "Misaki?" he calls out slowly.

The crow turns around with eyes glistening with unshed tears, Saruhiko can only watch silently, not knowing what's going on through Misaki's mind. "I'm not going to have a bath; I'm just going to change. Listen, the food's ready downstairs and that shield can only hold on for so long, so put some shirt on and let's go eat," the crow says in a nonchalant tone as if wanting to prove that he's fine, but Saruhiko knew better. The one having the most pain is Misaki; the one having the most pain is always Misaki. He had carried the child and almost reaching full term, if only he hadn't fell from that stupid accident and lost the baby.

"What's on your mind?" the blue clansman suddenly asks. Misaki froze for a minute and stares at his husband with a questioning look. He knows Saruhiko is smart, a genius actually and that he had been able to see the false façade he tried to put up. Try as he might, Misaki can never fool Saruhiko long enough to create a convincing act saying that he's fine. Those blue eyes search him, bore through his soul and stripped him raw to the very bones. Sometimes, just _sometimes_, Misaki just wants those blue eyes to stop searching him as it left him extremely vulnerable and helpless.

Staring at Saruhiko emptily, Misaki simply replies, "Nothing, I'm hungry," before pushing past Saruhiko to change clothes. He could still feel the other's eyes on him and he shivers slightly. _A lot, there are a lot of things on my mind and I'm not even sure if you're going to accept what I say. Maybe you're just going to label me as utterly insane_, Misaki thought gloomily as he changes from his usual shirts to something lighter to help him sleep later on. As if knowing that Misaki didn't want to press on the subject, Saruhiko didn't say anything more and the two head downstairs for dinner. Saruhiko wrapping his arm around Misaki's waist as they descend the flight of stairs; it's his usual way of silently telling Misaki that he misses him.

Upon reaching the kitchen, Misaki quickly disables the shield and the two sat down on opposing ends of the table. Saruhiko pouts slightly at the rather large amount of vegetables in the dishes. "Misaki, why is it that you have to make so much greens every time? You know I still hate the taste of vegetables," the blue clansman says as he dove in straight for the meat. Misaki glares at the rather petulant man and places some radishes into Saruhiko's plate before pointing his chopsticks at the man sternly.

"Will you stop whining about your food already? You're a grown man for goodness sake; stop making me having to babysit you every goddamn time," the crow scolds lightly as he continues to put small amount of vegetables in Saruhiko's plate. "It's a good thing I managed to make you eat some vegetables in the first place, at least now you don't look so pale and look like that King of yours,"

Those words hit Saruhiko right in the heart and his eyes went wide. The thought of looking near identical to his superior in any way, be in physically or mentally, scares the living Hell out of him. "Wait, are you saying that all these times, I looked almost the same as the Captain?" Saruhiko asks in disbelief. Misaki only stares at him in that questioning but curious gaze as he bit on the leek before nodding his head wordlessly. The blue clansman leans back in his seat in utter disbelief when he now realizes that little fact.

"It's like Ayame and Yua. Your personalities aren't the same but your looks are. With the blue hair, the glasses, and your clothes looking almost similar, when you first came out to fight Homra from Scepter 4's side, I had to double-take on who's who," Misaki continues as Saruhiko continues to turn pale, but then he narrows his eyes and starts to eat the vegetables like a madman, earning a surprised look from Misaki. He's never seen Saruhiko eat vegetables to that degree before, and wonders what's with the change.

The blue clansman notices the look he receives and quickly swallows the food in his mouth. "I am NOT going to look like the Captain anymore. You have no idea how creepy it was when you told me I look like him, that's why I want to look different than him," Saruhiko replies curtly before swallowing more vegetables, as much as he could take. Misaki only watches, dumbfounded before breaking out in a laugh that surprises even Saruhiko. Misaki laughs, yes, but never to this extent. And then he realizes something a little strange about what the crow had said.

"Hey, Misaki, why did you suddenly mention the girls?" he asks, eyes narrowed and concerned. The crow's laughter gradually dies down and Saruhiko could see a distant look in those brown eyes, as if Misaki is reminiscing something that he doesn't know where to start or how to begin. "They didn't threaten you, did they? Did they call or found you here?" Saruhiko continues to question softly. Misaki silently nibbles on his food, appetite forgotten for the time being.

"It was Ayame, she came here just now," Misaki finally says and Saruhiko's eyes went wide with surprise. He would've said something, but Misaki beat him to it. "Apparently Yua can track us from some sort of signature body waves, like a beacon coming from our bonds, she told Ayame to track me here. Whole reason is because Megumi, she..." the silence makes Saruhiko all the more curious when he sees Misaki fidgeting nervously. "She managed to save Ryuu's soul that was wandering here!" he finally blurts out.

At the mention of their baby's name, Saruhiko's throat feels tight. If what Misaki said is true, then Ryuu is in Megumi's grasp and she can easily bless Misaki again. But the news is just too surreal and insane, there's no way that's even possible. To save a soul, that's a God's job and Megumi's only a pre-teen Strain girl whose power is still developing, such ability is nonsense! "And you believed what she said? I told you that those girls are a public nuisance!" Saruhiko says with a shake of his head.

"But you know Ayame; she won't waste her time coming here if the news isn't true. Besides, she even slapped me for it!" Misaki replies back with his eyebrows furrowed angrily. "People like her; they won't bother pranking others unless they have something for themselves. And her eyes told me that Megumi actually did save our kid," the crow continues as Saruhiko continues to listen with conflicted emotions. Such big news, no one could believe it instantly especially if they came from the very same nuisance who tied them together once. And Misaki would be crushed if the news isn't real.

Slowly, Saruhiko places his chopsticks down to look at Misaki in the eyes. "You know, if they lie about this, you're just going to get hurt and crushed again. How do we know this isn't a scam? We hardly know how the girls' minds work, and we've already sent Ryuu's spirit to rest in peace so how is he still wandering around?" the blue clansman asks to a quiet Misaki. He knows that Misaki had come to love Ryuu, as does he but Megumi herself had mentioned she can only bless someone one time, so that soul might not be returned to them.

"I don't care, I'm going to see Megumi tomorrow and make her explain things to me. Ryuu might or might not come back, but I have to know somehow," Misaki says and starts to eat again. Saruhiko can only sigh at the crow's one-track mind and crazy decisions, but if Misaki says he wants to see Megumi tomorrow, then he has no choice but to let the crow go. Too bad he have work and won't be able to accompany him. Smiling, Saruhiko stares at Misaki who's eating his rice quietly, until he notices the stare that Saruhiko is directing at him.

"You'd be a great mommy," the blue clansman says with a teasing smirk. Misaki simply threw a fishbone at him.

* * *

'Fushimi Misaki'... That somehow has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? (chuckles) Next up we'll have an encounter between Misaki and Megumi, wonder if he'll keep his head cool for a while, enough to hear her explanation.

Yosh, I'm now going to practice my tablet drawing until I can get the picture of Ryuu wrong no more! Now that I'm in animation and graphics, I'm going to use my skills and spam all sorts of pictures into deviantart so you guys can see the imagery of the characters I create, namely; Yua, Ayame, Megumi and Ryuu! But it'll take many more months though.. (dies)

Leave a review and tell me what you think~


	3. The Explanation

Wow, it's been a week already? Where have the time gone..? Anyways, I'm somewhat sad that this story doesn't let up like my previous story, but I try to keep an open mind since..well, it's been months since I last made a new story and all so readers' ratings must have dropped somewhat, I try not to get it to my mind too much (sheepish).

But I'm also glad that there are some of you who enjoyed this story and supporting me, I'll try to keep updating as best as I can. Really, this stupid laptop doesn't have any Microsoft Word, how lame is that?! I'm now depending on the computer and my USB hoping that nobody would steal it or it goes missing, everything's in there..

Enough stalling now, I don't want to keep you waiting for long after all, let's continue on with the story.

* * *

"Monkey! If you don't let me go, I'm going to personally stab you in your sleep tonight!" Misaki shrieks as Saruhiko has his waist in a death grip. The morning after is almost a routine for them both ever since they started living together, Saruhiko would get ready for work and Misaki would still be asleep as his work normally starts around 9 and this gives him some slight bit of chance to sleep in a bit. But Saruhiko would demand a hug and kiss from the crow and this seriously irks the shorter male to the point where sometimes he'd bring pepper spray with him just so he can repel Saruhiko when he's not in the mood.

But then Saruhiko is smarter, he'd sometimes shields himself with various items such as Misaki's preferred pan, a pillow, his jacket, putting his glasses on or even Misaki's skateboard, though he no longer uses the board as the crow once locked him outside as a protest. "Come on, Misaki. You're going to see those annoyances today and give them your attention, so right now I'm demanding my share," the blue clansman whines out as he kisses and licks up the crow's neck.

A sharp elbow to his ribs sent the blue clansman reeling back with a groan. He'd have to admit, Misaki had grown rather strong over the years and with the milk he's been consuming, his bones now are quite dense, too bad the crow drank the milk a little too late in his teens, so he never grew much and is almost at the same height as he was when he was 19. Though he had gained some centimeters, Saruhiko can strongly say that the crow never grew more than 170cm, and that fact always makes Misaki's blood boil. "Get to work, Saruhiko. I don't think I can stop that Tundra Woman from killing you anymore if you keep slacking off," Misaki says as he rolls his shoulder.

Saruhiko smiles lightly at the short burst of anger as it's Misaki's own way that he cares and that he doesn't want to see Saruhiko get in trouble, as if that works much, but it's sweet that the crow even cares for him that much. "You don't have to worry about the Vice-Captain, I'm pretty sure she's busy with her daughter, fussing over her and making her wear all those frilly dresses Anna used to wear," Saruhiko says with a wave of his hand and a slight shiver going down his spine. Misaki wonders what made Saruhiko so uncomfortable with Izumo's and Seri's daughter, to him, she's rather sweet and angelic if she's not mad.

Kusanagi Chiharu, born on the second year of Izumo and Seri's marriage and is now four-years-old. She has her mother's sweet looks and Izumo's rather sharp eyes along with his eye colour, she even has some of his temperament, once she threatened Misaki with his old baseball bat when he had accidentally spilled tea on her most loved plush bunny. And much to Scepter 4's horror, she also loves red bean paste as much as her mother and is constantly pushing the members to eat them, but that fact Misaki didn't know. One little trait on Chiharu is that her blonde, waist-length hair is straight at the top half and wavy at the bottom half, something she got from both her parents and is constantly cooed over by people.

Buttoning the blue clansman's shirt and getting his vest, Misaki turns to look at him strangely while Saruhiko grabs his glasses and pulls his jacket from the wardrobe. "Why are you so worked up about what that girl wears? You told me yourself that your Vice-Captain often sleeps with loads of plush toys before she's married, all thanks to that creepy boss of yours installing cameras in her dorm," the crow says with a slight grimace on his face. In a sense, Saruhiko and Reisi are more similar than what they seem.

"Now you know why I moved out of the dorm and into an apartment," Saruhiko replies back blandly and looking at Misaki with emotionless eyes, though the crow could see the hesitant need to just want to shriek in them. A quirk of a brow and Saruhiko embraces Misaki in a bone-crushing hug. "He watched _everything_ that's going on in the dorms! It's as if he's a ghost who uses cameras as his eyes and it was freaking me out. Do you get it? Having your superior watching you dress, undress, study, and practice, everything... It's not right,"

Misaki groans lightly at the pressure around his shoulders and chest, but Saruhiko heard him and quickly releases him so that Misaki can catch his breath. "Why are you complaining? I have to deal with that everyday ever since we lived together. Or do you seriously think I won't notice how you'd stare at me when I sleep at night? Or the many times you kissed me around when I was trying to sleep! Hell, you even sniffed my boxers when we first slept together! That one was creepy as hell!"

Tilting his head lightly to the right, Saruhiko now remembers which scene Misaki's talking about and the thought made him smile widely, causing the crow to throw him a punch but he evaded in the last seconds. "You can't blame me, Misaki. You know I just love your scent and your scent alone. Besides, we were doing it so many times that night that your smell just sticks to your clothes, and I can't control myself," the blue clansman says with a shrug and retrieves the vest from Misaki before pecking him on the nose playfully. "I hope you don't get yourself into trouble with them later,"

"They won't do anything to me, they're girls," Misaki replies nonchalantly before collapsing back on the bed. The mattress feels nice and cool under his touch and his eyes are already drooping low, ready to take him to sleep but it seems that Saruhiko still has some tricks up his sleeves. Silently walking to the crow, the taller of the two swoops in and bit Misaki's neck _hard_ before running out of the room as the crow screams vehemently and spewing curses at him. Once Saruhiko is gone along with his laughter, Misaki takes the opportunity to check himself in the mirror. And true enough, there's an obvious hickey where Saruhiko had bit him.

_That stupid, idiotic, useless, does-as-he-like monkey... I am going to kill him later when he gets home_, the crow thought hotly as he rubs his neck as if trying to rub the now forming bruise away only to no avail. Sighing, the crow walks back to bed and closes his eyes the moment his body touches the mattress. He's still sleepy, but currently there are so many things that are going through his mind until he can't even sleep. Most of those thoughts are circled around Megumi and the thousands of questions he has for the girl, such as how could she have saved the soul? Why couldn't she done that earlier? What is going on and just so much more that it hurts his head just thinking about it.

Next thing he knows, the sun is already up and it's about the right time for him to visit Megumi and the girls. He had called in his boss for personal leave and not being one to be on leave all the time, his boss easily granted his request without much question, and for that Misaki is quite thankful. Walking towards the bathroom, Misaki was about to strip his clothes off when he felt something watching him. The vein in his head throbs and he reaches for a nearby chair before climbing up and notices a small camera being implanted near the bathroom mirror. Without hesitation, he smashes the camera with his fist and strips down as usual after putting the chair away.

_That'll teach that monkey something about privacy_, he thought with a sadistic but triumphant grin. He knows for some time now that Saruhiko often hide cameras around the house, just so he can see when Misaki leaves, comes back and what he does to pass the time. The whole reason the crow even knew in the first place is because he suspected that Saruhiko seem to know so much about what he did in his spare time, hence the reason he searched around the house and found the aforementioned hidden cameras. When he told Saruhiko what he knew, the blue clansman only clicked his tongue in annoyance. This leads to Misaki destroying every piece of hidden cameras wherever he could find them.

Misaki enjoys the peaceful bath he had and puts on a casual shirt with brown hoodie along with a pair of jeans. His hair, cascading down his shoulders is let loose as he dislike to tie them up, it makes his rather feminine look even more feminine, and he wouldn't want that. Snatching the piece of paper Ayame had given him the day before, Misaki dials the number written on it and waits for the connection to be made. His heart beats wildly behind his chest as he now waits for someone to pick up the receiver from the other end.

Finally, someone answered. "I assume this is Fushimi Misaki, formerly known as Yata Misaki?" the voice of a young girl questions. Misaki simply replied 'yes' dumbly, apparently this person is expecting him to call. "Yatagarasu, no time to explain, especially not in an unsecured line such as this! Come meet me and my sisters here where I live, I assume Ayame-oneesama had given you my address?" the girl continues to question in a rather frantic tone. Misaki again replies 'yes' dumbly as the girl seems to be in a hurry for something. She tells him to quickly go to her house and to keep all his questions until they meet. Misaki is a little surprised that he didn't notice the girl is actually Megumi until he puts down the phone.

_I hate surprises_, he thought grumpily as he locks the door with his skateboard in hand. The crow then quickly skates down the streets, avoiding people and obstacles as he looks around to make sure he's on the right path. Because Megumi lives on the other side of the city, Misaki had to skate for quite some time until he reaches the area where her house is situated, and by then it's already late noon and he's sweating rather profusely. Looking at the given address in the note, he nods to himself. "This is the place, now to find someone who can help me navigate through here," he mumbles to himself as he makes his way to a guard post. The guard seems rather hesitant at first when he came near, wondering if Misaki is some sort of thug about to break in.

"Hey, do you mind telling me where I can find this house in this crazy maze? The girl, Megumi said she wanted to talk to me," Misaki explains to the guard. The guard nods his head and brought Misaki to the aforementioned house, the crow's jaws nearly hit the ground when he sees the size of the bungalow. The front lawn can fit around five cars with a large fountain in the middle, the doors are huge and the house itself has marbles that reflects the sunlight, making it glow warmly. Just then, Megumi came out of the house in a white baby doll dress before pulling Misaki inside in a hurry. The guard only watches them with question marks above his head.

Megumi continues to drag Misaki into the house and up the stairs with the crow screeching for her to stop all the while. "Will you pipe down, Yatagarasu? We're almost at my room so shush for a bit," Megumi reprimands him with a slight glare. The crow blinks stupidly at her words before it sinks into his skull, and he blushes beet red. Megumi only rolls her eyes at his blatant stupidity and lightly smacks him at the back of his head. "Stop thinking like that! Ayame-oneesama and Yua-oneesama are there too, and I have some explanations for you, remember?" she questions him a little gentler and he nods his head after a while, finally remembering why he's in the bungalow in the first place.

Once they reached the light green room, Megumi pushes Misaki in and closes the door before locking them and making sure no one followed her. Her adoptive parents are at work today, and she has no maid but one can't help but make sure they're really alone when it comes to important and private matter. True enough, Ayame and Yua are already in the room, lounging on the beanbags while reading some of Megumi's manga and novels. Misaki took note how Yua's hair had grown significantly and pools on the floor when she sits on the chair, and the way she has a headdress around her head with a blue jewel that falls in the middle of her forehead reminds him of some sort of Arabian princess, not to mention the white, satin flow dress she's wearing really made her stand out the most.

"Alright, no one is around to interfere and I believe I owe all of you an explanation," Megumi says with a clap of her hand and a smile. Misaki only makes a small noise of surprise, still trying to wrap his mind around the sudden whirlwind of occurrences. Ayame and Yua however, aren't pleased at all and glare at the younger girl as she nervously sits down on her bed. "Fine, fine, I'll explain everything from beginning to end on how I know Yatagarasu's child's soul is here and how I managed to save it. But before that, Yatagarasu, you might want to sit down, I don't want you to faint on me," she instructs and points to her dresser's chair. He complied and sits down as he was told.

Taking a deep breath, Megumi starts to explain. "Years ago, as you are well aware, I blessed Yatagarasu here and it gave him a child's soul, a child that has never been born into this world, a pure soul," everyone nod their heads at this and she continues. "However, that soul didn't make it to the world and because I was still so young at the time and not fully in-tune with my abilities, I did not know that I can call it back as the soul is actually connected to mine," she says and this makes the other three occupants of the room to sit straighter, now interested in the progressing of her explanation.

"Hold on a second there, if you said the soul's connected to yours, does that make you as the original mother then?" Ayame asks and glances at Misaki nervously. The crow seems a little upset, but he didn't show his emotions completely so Ayame couldn't be so sure on how he exactly feels. Megumi shakes her head and turns to look at Misaki with a gentle look and a caring smile, surprising the crow a little along with the other two girls. "You're not the mother? Then how is it tied to you?" Ayame continues to press, Yua glares at her a little to silence her, the girl never said a word throughout the whole ordeal.

"I am not, but because I blessed him, in a sense, my soul is linked with the child's soul. I don't know the details myself but that's how I managed to find it," she says and Misaki scratches his head a little in confusion. "After you gave the child's body a proper burial, his soul however, wanders around and doesn't stay up there for long because he wanted to stay by his parents' side," Megumi continues and smiles at Misaki. The crow blushes slightly but he too gave a small smile, touched at his son's reluctance to leave even after his death.

Yua then speaks up after listening to her explanation. "In a sense, the secondary bond you have with the child is what enables you to find him. I now understand how her powers work," she says and all eyes are on her. "When she blesses someone, especially with a child, she will form an unconscious secondary bond with the soul, like a rope that acts like a lifeline should the soul unable to be born. Unlike a real bond similar to the three of ours or like Yatagarasu's and his partner, this secondary bond is almost undetectable,"

"Like how someone would form an unconscious bond when they see someone else got hurt?" Ayame interrupts and Yua nods her head. Misaki however, is still a bit in the dark and so Ayame opts to explain to him. "Take it like this, person A is walking somewhere minding his business, when he sees person B falls off a bike and nobody wants to help. Of course, person A feels sorry for person B despite not knowing person B at all and goes to help him. That's a secondary bond, a bond of empathy and sympathy. That's how Megumi manages to save your child's soul,"

Misaki nods his head in understanding as Megumi thanked the two for explaining. "I felt sorry for your child, and he was crying out with such a sad tone that I can't bear it anymore. And since my powers have grown, I decided to 'fish' him back to the land of the living and return his soul to you. That is, if you and your partner still wants this child's soul. Remember Ayame-oneesama once told you I blessed three other people and two of them didn't want the child? Their souls are with me now, slowly being devoured," she says with a blank look and holding her hands against her chest. The other three occupants stare in horror when she says that and Ayame almost faints.

"What do you mean those two souls are being devoured? You said you 'fish' the souls to return them to their parents, not devour them!" Misaki screeches out in panic, but Megumi continues to stay silent as if contemplating on what she should explain to them. "Hey kid, explain to me! I get how you managed to save Ryuu's soul, but what about the other two? Can't you give those souls to the people who wants children or something?" he continues, but then she stares at him pointedly with those jade green eyes of hers, and it sends shivers down the crow's spine.

"I'm a double-edged sword! I kill as much as I bless! Some people, they came to me with pure hearts but they never desire anything until their hearts are corrupted with anger, hate, jealousy and other negative emotions. Those people became blinded and their hearts became too dark, and their wishes are just a thirst for blood! These souls I fished, their parents wanted them completely gone and that's what I have to do! I have to devour them, or else it'll just bring them more pain and suffering," she cries and hugs herself to stop the trembling now wracking her frame. "The only soul that's safe is the one that belongs to your child because deep down, you still want him,"

With that, she extend her hands forward and a gentle light glows from her palms, revealing a small orb that's just warm to the touch and as bright as a tiny star. Misaki stares at the glowing orb with fascination and tries to touch it, but drew back, afraid of hurting the light. "Go ahead, this is your child's soul, you have every right to hold and love him. This is his form before he has a body, but this is merely a false form, no one knows how a soul actually looks like. I found him circling around your house, apparently he has a deep attachment there, and I don't know why," Megumi says with a motherly smile. Ayame and Yua stares in fascination at the soul and the former even prods it with a finger, gasping when she feels the fluffy, yet solid feeling.

Misaki knew why Ryuu's soul is circling the house, it's because of the baby room the both of them had set up, Ryuu must've been dreaming of being with his parents. Now he also knows why he sometimes hear a child's laugh in the house when he's all alone, and sometimes even hushed sobbing, all of them had came from Ryuu, and he thought it was their neighbors' children who was crying and paid no mind. Tentatively, the crow retrieves the glowing orb from Megumi's hand and is awed at the loving sensations coming from it. Megumi stood up and without warning whatsoever, she blew on the soul and it immediately went into Misaki through his chest. The crow only blinks in surprise at what she just did.

"The soul is now yours again, everything will be just as it is so please, be careful this time. This soul suffered all these years because he couldn't be in your arms, and now that you got a second chance, you have to make it work," Megumi says fiercely. Just the thought of having his son back in his arms, Misaki nods his head and took his leave, content that Ryuu's soul is now with him once again. With the crow out of the sight, the two older girls stood up to face Megumi.

The younger girl looks down at the carpet as her adoptive sisters encircle her. "You didn't just fish Ryuu's soul, you exchanged a bit of yours, cutting your life shorter. Question is, why and how?" Ayame asks rather sharply as she crosses her arms across her chest. Even Yua is expecting an answer, but the other two suspects she already knows; her powers are linked between all three of them, not surprising if she had sense the slight agony that Megumi felt when she exchanged a small bit of her soul to fish back Ryuu's.

"He'd never allow himself to take Ryuu's soul, no matter how much he yearns for it if he had known," Yua says with a sympathetic tone and pats Megumi on her head. "Though the secondary bond acts like a lifeline for her to know if a soul is suffering, she can't just save a soul that's not meant to be devoured without having to pay compensation. To save a soul, she has to sacrifice a bit of hers, that's how it goes. Now I know why having the ability similar to a God is burdening, your soul is your price in exchange for another," she explains lengthily to Ayame who merely sighs in defeat. Now they hope that Misaki would take care of the soul so that Megumi won't have to fish for it again.

Later that night, an ecstatic Misaki had told Saruhiko about what had happened and not wanting to disappoint his beloved, both blue clansman and former vanguard of Homra decide to give their baby-making a shot, filling their night with passion and intense love. On the other side of the city, Megumi only smiles in her sleep when she heard the very familiar voice she had been listening to for weeks whisper to her.

_Thank you._

* * *

I'm not entirely sure if I did well in this chapter as opposed to the previous chapters, but I tried my best. Somehow it feels to me like I'm focusing too much on the OC's and it's somewhat bothering me, so maybe I should do a change of pace.. Hmm... And I seriously hope that I get the complex theories right, all the ideas come to me when I want to sleep so it's always fuzzy, full of holes and requires lots of diligent work so it won't be left hanging.

If I sound like I got issues..maybe I really do (dies).

Anyways, this is it for this week's chapter, next one will be up same time and/or day next week, keep a lookout for it and if it's not too much to ask..leave me some reviews..? (sad Misaki eyes)


	4. The News

Progress seems slow here, I wonder if my usual readers are busy..but I'm also rather glad I got new readers. And I'm currently relaxing a little, since I don't have that much assignments on me right now other than writing 5-6 pages of this story every single weekend. Actually in truth I'd write this story everyday bit by bit, but SADLY -again I complain- I don't have Microsoft Word and it pisses me off to no end! Oh well, half a loaf is better than none when it comes to returning home every week and writing like a megalomaniac..

Before I let you off with the story, I'd like to thank everyone who favorite, reviewed and alerted this story. Though I'm sure some of you -the new readers- wonders what's going on, so I suggest you start off from _Strings of Red_ followed by_ Bonds in Three_, it'll make much more sense that way. So now I won't waste anymore time with this and hope you enjoy this chapter~

Does anyone even read this author's note section..?

* * *

Weeks have passed since Megumi returned the soul to Misaki and the couple had done their love-making almost every night, and yet there aren't any signs that Misaki is carrying a new life. Saruhiko could see the depressed air around the crow and tried everything he could to make his beloved cheer up, but Misaki seems to avoid his ministrations entirely and spends most of his day at the skateboarding rink. Saruhiko isn't blind or deaf to what's going on at the crow's workplace, he already heard words saying that their trainer is a bit down and isn't as fiery as he used to be.

As usual, that morning before Saruhiko goes to work, he made some coffee for himself and drinking alone downstairs in the kitchen when he heard frantic footsteps from the second floor running around. Worried, he places his cup down and went up to their bedroom to see what's going on. Much to his surprise and slight horror, Misaki is kneeling beside the toilet and emptying the contents of his stomach, his face pale and green by the time he's done before flushing the toilet. The crow lethargically sat there on the tiled floor to catch his breath just as Saruhiko walks in to cradle him against his chest whilst offering a glass of water to rinse his mouth.

All is quiet for the moment as Misaki cleans his mouth to get rid of the acidic feeling in them, until Saruhiko decides to break it. "You know, I have a decent feeling that you're pregnant again, but then again that's just me. I think we should sleep again tonight as a 'just in case', don't you agree?" Saruhiko asks with a lecherous grin on his face. The blue clansman is already dressed and ready for work, the only thing that's missing are his boots which are leaned nicely against the wall near the door. "So? I take it your silence means yes?" he continues, completely ignoring Misaki's full-on glare towards him.

"Is sex the only thing you think about, jackass?" the crow shrieks vehemently before taking a swing of his fist to Saruhiko. The blue clansman had no problem evading it and starts to carry Misaki bridal-style out of the bathroom and plops him on their king-size bed. The crow only glares at Saruhiko spitefully as his stomach threatens to release whatever contents it has left, though Misaki is sure that it's empty by now. "Go to work or you'll be late, I'll be fine here," he sighs when he notices the rather worried look Saruhiko is giving him. Saruhiko however, isn't fully convinced as Misaki's face continues to stay pale and his eyes dimming in their usual glow.

Tentatively, the blue clansman places a hand on Misaki's forehead to check his temperature before caressing his cheeks. Misaki flushes slightly at the gentle ministrations but didn't say a word about it, only letting Saruhiko does as he pleases while he tries to keep his stomach down. Truthfully, he had known this would work, only that it might take some time and to see some sort of reaction six weeks after he had retrieved the soul, it's no surprise he's gloomy. The last time he knew he was carrying was when he was a month along, this time his morning sickness came in a little late, hence why he's upset. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay here and look after you? I don't want you to get hurt like...last time," Saruhiko says after a pause.

The death of their child was hard, and to get this second chance, Saruhiko would do whatever it takes for his family to be complete again. The wish and desire to have a family to call his own overflows from his heart now that it's positive that Misaki is carrying again, but they still have to do a thorough checkup before they can truly celebrate. "I know you're worried. But I'll still go to work as usual, though I won't skate as much. My stomach's seriously pointing a knife at me and wanting me to puke again and again," the crow huffs raggedly and with a roll of his eyes. "I'll stay by the sidelines; you go to work and avoid getting killed from whoever's trying to kill you,"

A smile paints itself on Saruhiko's lips when he realizes that Misaki still retains some of his fiery attitude, but now he's a bit wary because despite those eyes dimming in their usual energy, he could sense the animosity behind them intensifying. _Hormones, I need to make sure he doesn't kill me in my sleep_, Saruhiko thought shakily. Looking at those eyes again, the blue clansman almost shuddered when Misaki continues to glare at him, silently telling him that if he doesn't get out to work now, the crow will throw him out of the second floor window himself without even caring where Saruhiko might land. Clicking his tongue to show he isn't scared of the sudden fierceness in Misaki's glare, he ruffles the other man's hair affectionately. "Alright, alright. Let me just finish my coffee before you decided to go King Kong on me," he says before swiftly getting out of their room.

"I'm not the fucking monkey here, you stupid monkey!" Misaki screams vehemently from the bedroom to which Saruhiko merely chuckled. He would've corrected saying that King Kong is an ape, but he's afraid that Misaki might maul him before he can put on his boots, so he decides to keep quiet and finish his coffee quietly before going out and locking the door. Misaki continues to glower at the door where Saruhiko had swiftly dodged his pillow, curse that man and his attitude of teasing the crow. _He never changes, maybe I should let that Vice-Captain of his kill him for a change,_ he thought with sadistic glee. But then Ryuu might not get to know his father, and for Misaki, that won't do at all.

After leaving Misaki at home, Saruhiko got into his car and speeds off towards Scepter 4. His Captain might want to hear about this news as he was the one who had helped the two when they first knew Misaki was pregnant. Captain of Scepter 4, Fourth and Blue King; Munakata Reisi. Saruhiko clicks his tongue when he thinks of the older man as Reisi, despite being a capable man, is no longer the same man they had once known all those years ago. He's no longer as responsible, no longer as confident, no longer as cheeky and lively as he used to be. All this because of a certain King's death. _I guess the burden of killing a King is heavier than I thought,_ the blue clansman thought bitterly.

He wouldn't know how his superior felt, he wouldn't know what his superior had to go through after all these years but he knows the pang in his chest when he remembers the previous Red King. Saruhiko never hated the man, he just disliked him for taking Misaki's attention away, but other than that he's completely fine with him. So many years had gone past without any news of a new Red King, Homra had long been disbanded and the clansmen are near nowhere to be found except a few. _Bonds thicker than blood huh? What a load of bullshit, the moment their King died, everyone scattered like the scum they are_, Saruhiko thought sadistically. Homra was a place he'd never want to remember; all those times filled with heartache, longing for Misaki's eyes only on him, the distance growing longer and further until his betrayal.

But now he has Misaki in his arms, a house to call their own, jobs that can easily cover their daily expenses and most importantly; a child just waiting to be born. He'd have to say; right now his life is at absolute bliss. Pulling up at Scepter 4, he parks his car in its place and stalks his way up to the monitor room as usual where he knows the Vice-Captain is waiting to chew him alive. Over the years, she hadn't changed much, except that her hair had grown longer and her waist thickening a bit, though that was short-lived as she always went to the gym to get her body back in shape. But Saruhiko don't even want to point out that she only goes there for the dumbbells, so she couldn't have lost that weight around her waist easily.

He shudders a little as a rather disturbing image crosses his mind. _I don't even want to think what she did to get her waist back in shape, especially not with Kusanagi-san_, he thought. It still scars him to think that she and Izumo could get a daughter only two years in their marriage, and it scars him more to see people having a child just a year into their marriage and more in the following years. _Those people need a hobby_, he thought disgustedly. Finally, he trudges into the monitor room where, not surprisingly, Seri is glaring at him. "Good morning to you too, Vice-Captain," he says monotonously.

"Late again, Fushimi? It's a good thing you arrived earlier than your usual time this morning or else I would've thrown you out the window," she says with a sharp glare towards his way. The motherly-like look he's receiving really isn't helping the thoughts he had earlier to disappear and he'd really just want to go back to his monitors so he can at least hack through the street cameras in case Misaki goes out. "Why the change of heart? Your partner kicked you out I suppose?" she continues in that condescending tone of hers.

Sighing, Fushimi merely clicks his tongue and shove his hands into his pockets. "He's just a bit in the cranky mood, what with carrying the kid and all. I'm pretty sure you'd know how he feels, right, Vice-Captain?" he sneers a little causing Seri to stare at him in surprise. Saruhiko only smiles at her when she lets that information sinks in and went over to his seat to go over the monitors and paperwork as he usually would. Not a while later, the woman walks over to her and looks at him strangely. "Are you saying that your partner is...carrying a child? But how is that even possible?" she asks quietly so that the others didn't hear them.

"The same way he got pregnant the first time, that Strain girl's blessing," Saruhiko replies back blandly, though he's giddy on the inside to see how Seri would react about that. She looks rather apprehensive and on-guard, hoping that what Saruhiko had said was just a scam to get away from her scolding, but the look in his eyes, the very same look when he's being completely serious shows that he's not joking, that Misaki really did get pregnant for a second time. Signaling him with her eyes, the two make their way to Reisi's office quietly; all eyes are on them as they exited the monitor room.

Knocking on the door once, twice, Reisi's voice could be heard on the other side granting their permission to come in. The Blue King is quite surprised to see his top two officers suddenly coming in and puts away his puzzles for the time being, curious on what the two wants. "Ah, Fushimi-kun, Awashima-kun, is there anything I can help you with?" he asks, that same, arrogant smile still plastered on his face. Despite already married to Izumo and goes by the surname 'Kusanagi', Reisi still prefers to call his second using her maiden name as he's gotten too used of it. Seri, however, didn't mind at all.

"Fushimi here has just told me that his partner, that Yatagarasu is pregnant again, and from the same method as before that is the Strain child's blessing," she says with a salute and a leer at Saruhiko who stares back at her boredly. "From the Intel that was given a few years ago, this Strain child can only bless one particular person once a lifetime. How is it that Yatagarasu got pregnant again when the blessing was cancelled with the death of your child?" she continues to question in a rather cold tone. Saruhiko flinches a little when she mentioned Ryuu's death and it took all his willpower not to strike her down.

Clicking his tongue and glaring spitefully at Seri, Saruhiko starts to explain. "The kid grew up, alright? Misaki told me that her powers had grown stronger until she can even call back Ryuu's soul from 'eternal wandering', as she'd like to put it," Saruhiko explains in a rather lethargic tone. "But I doubt her powers would be that powerful without some sort of payment to get the soul back. Misaki didn't say anything about that but that's because I think Megumi hid that information from him. If he knew, he'd never take back Ryuu's soul no matter how much he wanted to," he continues with a forlorn face he tried so hard to keep cold.

Reisi hums in content when he hears about that. He's not surprised that the Strain's powers had grown; even the former red clan's princess's powers are growing tremendously over the past few years. "And why did you say that, Fushimi-kun? How can you tell that the child's powers require payment in order for her to retrieve the soul that you have lost?" Reisi asks in an all-business tone earning another small flinch from Saruhiko.

"The Silver King's Strain clansman's power is illusion and deception, an alteration of the memory and mind. Anna's powers are that of the opposite, instead of creating what's false, she transmits what she felt to her surroundings and reaches into a person or an object's psyche, connecting with them or in short; clairvoyance. However Megumi's powers are that of spiritual, she creates what can be created similar to a God's, but with a price," Saruhiko explains lengthily hoping that his two superiors get where he's going with this.

When he sees that the two seem to be following well, he continues. "But Megumi's just a kid so she can't exactly create souls and implant them for people, nor can she create miracles out of nowhere. When she blesses someone, the payment is that something of hers gets taken away little by little. Look, I don't even know how the concept goes but for rare-type Strains such as her, normally that'd be the cause," he concludes and sits down with a huff. It's tiring being with his superiors, all he wants is to go back to work.

Seri and Reisi glance at each other and silently decide that they should pull up the folder about the girl and other rare-type Strains for some extra research. For now, Reisi just wants to congratulate his subordinate for his success in getting their child back. Smiling, the older man leans forward on his desk and Saruhiko raises a brow in question. "Well, I just want to say congratulations to you and your partner. How far along is he, if you don't mind me asking?"

Saruhiko only shrugs in response before looking at his superior dead in the eyes. "We got the soul back six weeks ago, so should be somewhere there. I was thinking on sending Misaki a checkup later and why am I telling you this?" he stops abruptly, looking at his superiors with critical eyes. Seri manages a small smile but is instantly wiped away, replaced by her cool and cold exterior, but Reisi all out chuckled at his subordinate. The Blue King then wishes Saruhiko luck in parenting before sending the two out of his office, though not before he regards Seri with a knowing look.

"Do you really think you can hide your own pregnancy as well, Awashima-kun?" the Blue King asks with a knowing smirk. Her face immediately turns red in embarrassment before she covers it with a cough while Saruhiko stares at her with a dumbfounded look on his face. "I can already tell with how you walked in today. I suppose congratulations to the both of you then," he continues with a light chuckle. The two fidgets a little before bowing their thanks to Reisi and finally walking out of the King's office.

The walk back out is just as awkward as the walk in, despite Saruhiko not saying anything. He wanted to say something, and yet the words seem to be stuck in his throat, constricting them and silencing him altogether. "The Captain and I will be making our research regarding the rare-type Strain such as the child. Fushimi, go back to the monitor room and keep an eye on everything," she said all of a sudden before turning around and going back to Reisi's office. The younger of the two blinks stupidly for a short moment, a little bit lost at such sudden change.

Shrugging, he went back to the monitor room while keeping in mind that he should tell Misaki about this little news, though now he wonders how far along his superior could be. Back at home, the crow had called Megumi who is extremely delighted to hear the wonderful news. "So you and your partner will be careful now? Please, Yatagarasu, don't loose the child again," she pleads through the phone and Misaki sets his jaw in a straight line.

"Don't worry, this time I plan to be careful," he says before the two bid farewell. Everyone warned him of the possibilities of loosing the child again, but Misaki had assured them that this time he'll make sure that he and his child are both safe from harm's way. And he's highly positive that Saruhiko would put him under house arrest again now that he's pregnant. _That guy, sometimes I wish he'd feel how it is being under house arrest, and then I can gloat at him_, the crow thought irritably. He then heads over to the kitchen after realizing that he hadn't eaten breakfast, and he's starving.

Despite so, he just couldn't bring himself to actually cook or eat something. He's hungry but his stomach won't keep the food down at the moment, and that aggravates the crow to no end. "Why the hell am I so hungry but couldn't keep anything down? This is stupid!" he yells angrily and starts pacing around the house just so he can burn more energy to trick his body that he needs refreshments. Sometime later, the crow can be seen eating his brunch happily just as Saruhiko returns.

The blue clansman raises an eyebrow when he sees his beloved just about to eat and sets both their lunches on the table. "You're just eating? Didn't you eat earlier?" he asks and Misaki sends him a look he couldn't decipher. It's a cross between annoyed and upset, and somehow that look sends chill down the blue clansman's back. His beloved is being highly emotional and it's starting to get to him. _All is good, this is normal and it'll pass...hopefully_, he thought just as Misaki dove for the still-wrapped food he had bought.

"I couldn't eat," the crow replies shortly earning another raised brow from his partner. "My stomach won't keep anything down and it's annoying as hell. So I walked around and ran a bit to-..."

"Hold on, you RAN?" Saruhiko questions in shocked disbelief and Misaki just nods his head as if it's the most natural thing to do while being six weeks pregnant. The blue clansman nearly fainted when Misaki even said he skateboarded around the neighborhood a little and showing the young kids some tricks and almost fell at one point. "That's it. I can't allow you to continue skateboarding and running until your pregnancy is over. Chances of miscarriage is still high at this point, I just want you to stay at home where it's safe," the finality in Saruhiko's voice made Misaki flinch, but he won't back down.

The crow can only stare at Saruhiko in disbelief when he said that and narrows his eyes dangerously. "What about my job then? You don't expect me to just suddenly quit now do you? I can still go there without skateboarding or teaching those kids, I'll be fine," he tries to reason, but Saruhiko had pushed himself off his chair and is now looming over Misaki, his eyes stone cold and set to the point where even the crow couldn't say anything. He's petrified on the spot.

"Do you understand the risk you're taking for our kid? The last time you had a miscarriage it's because you only fell from a _chair_! This is a skateboarding rink, Misaki! The risks are higher, it's more dangerous and even if you don't skate, everyone else does and you guys might collide into each other or someone can accidentally send one skateboard flying at you. Things like that happen!" Saruhiko tries to reason with Misaki who simply stares at him with surprised wide eyes. "For the baby's sake, just quit working,"

The crow can only hung his head, shielding his eyes from being seen by Saruhiko. He wants to continue working, but Saruhiko has a point. Chances of miscarriage are still high and at the rink, anything can happen. "I'll think about it, just give me some time," was all he replied.

* * *

Seri-chan's going to be a mother for the second time, wow! If you're wondering, no this isn't the surprise I mentioned in the summary, actually the surprise is rather sweet and I think you'd all would like it (winks). I'll try to keep the surprise as subtle as possible so none of you guys could guess what it may be, though I'm sure the quicker ones would notice, but I'm not going to say anything even if you hit the nail on the head (laughs).

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this little chapter, the next one would probably come out Sunday next week, it seems I'm pulling the updates a day early now (laughs). But really, thanks for reading the whole thing.

Do give me a review and voice out your opinions, unless it's a flame, no flames please..


	5. The Choice

(singing) The chair I'm spinning on goes round and round~ Wheee~ Thanks for everything guys, really! Your reviews were wondrous and I got some guesses, but since there's hardly any clues on my surprise, I'll let you off (laughs). And yes Feliccia.. (winks) I can be quite the doombringer, but fear not my fellow brethren of SaruMi pairing! I got this whole thing under control~ Alter467, your English is actually quite good, I'm highly impressed! (smile)

And to sir guest -the most recent one-, you needn't need to worry about me being like last time, that won't happen. Last time was because I know that _Bonds in Three_ was similar like another story and I kept saying that I'm working as best I can to change the idea, but some of them kept pointing out the obvious, made me upset and just..bail. Rest assured, this isn't like that time (smile), since I got a better idea now~

Enough chit chat, let's roll!

* * *

Saruhiko's words telling him to quit working had been in his mind for hours until Misaki found himself unable to sleep. The light from the outside world bathes Saruhiko's form gently and makes him look rather weak and vulnerable in his sleep, but Misaki knows how much that isn't true. Turning to face his beloved, Misaki simply watches the man sleep soundly, his chest rising up and down in a steady rhythm and his breath coming out softly. If only Misaki could be in the world of slumber right now, then he wouldn't have to worry over all these troubles.

The two had talked about telling Dr. Yuzuki in the morning regarding Misaki's condition, and the skateboarder had been more than happy to oblige since he too doesn't want anything to happen to the growing child. It'd be best if Dr. Yuzuki were to give them some advice since Misaki is now older and even though he's not a woman, he can at least know complications that'll arouse if elder women were to get pregnant. Saruhiko had agreed to that and turned the whole house upside down trying to find her card that she had given them years ago. Misaki yelled at him for making such a horrible mess and smacked him into cleaning things up.

While Misaki tosses and turns to get some sleep, a certain young girl is awake and has no intention to get any nightly rest whatsoever. In one of the rooms of the second storey of bar Homra, Anna sat there at her study desk, her marbles scattered in front of her, eyes set in a stone cold look and face devoid of emotions. Ever since in the morning, she had sense something powerful hovering around the Fushimi household and is worried if something happened to them only to realize something wonderful.

As a Strain with powers of clairvoyance, she manages to detect Ryuu's signature waves and almost screamed in joy when she found out that Misaki is pregnant again. But she manages to keep her emotions down and kept the news a secret, not wanting everyone to know and ruining Misaki and Saruhiko's surprise. At first, that's what she thought the mysterious wave is but then she found out that there are two different pulses coming from the two's house. One she can distinctly tell belonged to Ryuu, the other is something more ominous and hidden even to her ability.

_The child will be saved, that person can never get their hands on him_, she thought menacingly. Her eyes narrow dangerously and the marbles on the table start to move in an erratic fashion, bumping and colliding with each other violently until they start to chip and break. Izumo and Seri had moved into their own house when they got married and Anna refuses to leave the Red King's chambers, so she opted to watch over the bar from Mikoto's old room. Secretly though, she sometimes see his spirit wandering about with Totsuka, hence why she doesn't want to leave in the first place.

The marbles continue to roll around and bumping into each other until one powerful collision causes all four marbles to break apart completely. Anna seems to snap out of her trance and stares at the destroyed marbles with wide emotionless eyes, as if curious why they're no longer in their original form. Slowly, she forms the marbles back and starts rolling them around again, making sure her powers don't leak out too much in her silent anger as she watch over the couple and ensuring their safety.

When morning arrives, Saruhiko was the first to awaken and starts his morning routine of staring at a sleeping Misaki for a few short moments before taking a shower and making breakfast. He had asked for leave today so the both of them could pay Dr. Yuzuki a visit in order to check Misaki's pregnancy. He's not sure whether she's going to allow them to keep Ryuu, but they'll still keep him no matter what she says, even if the complications are high.

The blue clansman smiles gently when the gentle ray of sunlight bathes Misaki in its glow, making him look angelic and all the more beautiful. _Ahh...this is no good. I might eat him in his sleep, and he'll kill me for that later,_ Saruhiko thought with a snicker. He doesn't feel remorseful at all, in fact, he's holding himself back from actually ravishing the shorter man before their scheduled meeting. Saruhiko doesn't care that Misaki is sleeping or even pregnant –he does but right now, copulation is filling his head- he just wants to wake the sleeping man and take him then and there.

"If you so much as touch me right now, I'll cut off your head with a fork," Misaki suddenly says earning a surprised sound escaping Saruhiko's lips. Eyelids slowly open to reveal sleepy ember eyes now watching his every move with calculative gaze. "Is there anything else inside that head of yours except sex? I'm starting to think your brain's a one-way switch," the crow continues with an irate twitch of an eye. Saruhiko merely gapes at him for a few short minutes before bursting into laughter. Misaki however, don't find the situation funny at all.

Patting the crow on his head, Saruhiko only smiles. "You know that's not what I always think of. Now get your butt out of the bed and take a shower, I need to call that doctor about our visit today to make sure she doesn't forget about it," Saruhiko says with a yawn and flicking Misaki on the forehead. The next minute, their neighbors could hear Saruhiko screaming in pain and begging to be released.

"You'd better make sure you don't break every traffic rules created by mankind today, it was hell last time and I really don't want to repeat that," Misaki grumbles as they enter Saruhiko's car. The blue clansman only clicks his tongue and mumbles something incoherent, though Misaki could make out the 'that was an emergency you half-pint', and resists the urge to plow him over the head. "And do you even remember how to get there?" he continues, eyeing the blue clansman warily.

Saruhiko only grins in a way that makes Misaki somewhat freaked out and turns to his partner in a way that screams 'I'm not entirely sure, but you better hold on for your dear life'. "Of course I do," the monkey lied smoothly earning another twitch from Misaki. "Don't you worry my dear wife, I'll get you and the baby to the hospital safely and after that, we can inform your little red riding hood friends and go home where I can eat you up,"

Once again, the neighbors could hear screaming and the sound of pathetic begging to be released. Not a while later, Saruhiko drives out of their driveway and makes his way to the hospital where Dr. Yuzuki is waiting patiently.

In bar Homra, Izumo is busy chatting with his customers while Anna stays in her usual spot at the small round table. Though she might, or might not know, he's been watching her since he opened up earlier and is worried over her silent existence. Sure, Anna isn't one to speak a lot to begin with, especially since Mikoto's and Totsuka's death, but this silent is just too unusual, even for Anna. _I'll watch over her a little more, and if she's still behaving strangely, I should talk to her_, he thought rather grimly. Izumo continues to run business as usual while Anna stares into her drink as if detaching from the world.

When the customers are out, Izumo sighs and stubs the butt of his cigar onto the tray before moving to sit in front of Anna. The young teenager only lifts her head from her drink to stare at Izumo with a curious spark in her eyes. "Anna," he starts with a smile. "Is something going on? You seem quieter than normal, and I'm a little worried," Izumo says whilst looking at the girl in a gentle and mother-like way. Figures, Izumo have always been the mother of Homra since the start of the clan.

Anna didn't say anything, merely observing the bartender curiously. Deep inside, she wants to tell him that Misaki and Saruhiko are expecting and it was the same child they had lost, but another part of her strongly respects Misaki and would never reveal any of his secrets to the clan until the former vanguard is ready. Conflicted, she doesn't know what to do except keep quiet, although a plan is starting to form in her head. Meeting Izumo's gaze straight on, she takes a deep breath.

"Sorry Izumo," she says quietly. "I can't say anything yet. We'll have to wait for Saruhiko and Misaki later," was all she said before running out of the bar to meet with Kamamoto and a few others, though not before she sends the bartender a warning. "Don't stand and drink when they arrive, I don't want you to die," and with that, she left the bar altogether, leaving a highly bewildered if not confused Izumo.

Meanwhile, Saruhiko and Misaki arrive at Shizume Hospital with Dr. Yuzuki waiting for them at the entrance, smiling cheerfully all the while. When she sets her gaze on Saruhiko however, she resisted the urge to question him on why there are so many bruise and bite marks. Dr. Yuzuki chalks it up to hormones and that Saruhiko did something to aggravate Misaki, many husbands tend to suffer whenever their wives are pregnant anyway. "It's good to see you two again! I'm glad you somehow got pregnant again too, now come on," she says and leads them inside. "Let's see if that fetus is growing nicely,"

As usual, the three of them –or four if you count the growing child- went up the elevator and towards Dr. Yuzuki's office. The couple notices that she had grown a little over the years and that her hair is now longer, reaching all the way down to her waist without being held up in any way. The only hair accessory she has is a flower clip to hold the front of her hair from falling all over her face. "You look different from the last time we met," Saruhiko says in his usual emotionless tone. He also notices the ring on her right finger. "And you're married too,"

She turns and smiles brightly at them; even Misaki seems taken aback by the news and looks down at the glimmering diamond gem that is her ring. "That's a nice ring! So you don't go by the name 'Yuzuki' anymore?" he asks and she only hums in response. Truthfully, he's more comfortable when calling her by her maiden name, but she's a married woman now and it's only polite to call her by her new name.

"I still respond if you call me Dr. Yuzuki, I still find it more natural that way anyway. Now come over here, Misaki-kun so I can scan you," she says before realizing what she had said. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to call you so informally like that. Do you still go by the name Yata or Fushimi now?" she asks with an apologetic smile. Misaki wants to say that she can simply call him by the name Yata, but Saruhiko cuts him off before he even had a chance to say anything.

"Ever since he got married to me, he now doesn't care if people call him by his first name since he got used to it. So please, call him by the name 'Misaki' if it makes you feel all the more comfortable," Saruhiko interjects and Dr. Yuzuki only smiles in response. Misaki however, isn't too happy with what the monkey had just said and threw a fit at him only to be brush off by a mind-numbing kiss. That however, only made the crow all the more flustered and he starts to hit Saruhiko all over until Dr. Yuzuki calms him down.

Misaki finally steps on to the scanning bed and lifts his shirt up as Dr. Yuzuki pours the gel on his skin. It's cold as always and she starts to move the strange scope around. Misaki could see the concentration in her eyes and in Saruhiko's as he gazes at the screen intently. As the fetus is only a little over a month old, it's still rather small and hard to detect, but Misaki trusts Dr. Yuzuki and her expertise as she found it the last time. After moments of tense silence and searching around his insides, Dr. Yuzuki finally found the fetus and cries in joy.

"There it is, your little sneak," she says with a small giggle. Both Saruhiko and Misaki are rather curious on why she said that, and she notices their stares. "I called your child that because it seems to be hiding from our eyes. See this tiny clump here? That's him blending in," she says while zooming into the holographic projector and pointing to a rather disfigured ball of mass. "Just like last time, an aura pouch is created to house the little guy but this time it's filled with clumps of tissues, in fact, it's twice the amount than last time..."

When she says it like that, both Saruhiko and Misaki are left rather confused and a tiny bit worried. Did something happen when Megumi recaptured the soul and implanted it into Misaki? "But I guess it's fine, since it'll give him more leverage to hang on to and also giving his placenta more space to spread out," she says with a smile making the couple more relaxed. She then continues to observe the makeshift womb around in order to ensure that everything is in place and that the child is growing steadily and healthily. Saruhiko and Misaki talks to her about the latter's health and if this will effect him in any way, much to their delight, Dr. Yuzuki says that he'll be fine should he take care of his health.

"Now that everything's covered up and the both of you seem to be in good health, you can come back here again in a few weeks for your second checkup," Dr. Yuzuki concludes as she washes her hands while Misaki hops off the bed and wiping the gel from his stomach. "Because you're a man and your pelvic is smaller than a woman's, your baby might not grow to full size as he or she won't have the space. Furthermore, there's a high chance of you delivering early as the child can no longer grow, so by the time you reach third trimester, you'd better be on your toes," but then she seems to have a look of contemplation on her face. "Scratch that; keep on your toes when you're nearing the end of your second trimester,"

The couple seems to take in her words rather seriously as she's right. They've discussed about this years ago and they still believe it's a good idea to keep Misaki monitored, no matter how much the crow finds it troublesome. "Can I still go to the skateboarding rink for work? I'll just teach though, I won't be skateboarding," Misaki says, earning a shriek from Dr. Yuzuki. She levels him with a glare and jabs him near the collarbone.

"You want to go working at somewhere your kid could get hurt? I don't think so! Working at a skateboarding rink is highly dangerous and could bring all sorts of disaster, I don't want it happen like last time," she softens her tone at the last sentence. The image of a bleeding Misaki on the operation table is still fresh in her mind after all these years, and she just can't bear to see that same occurrence happening all over again. She couldn't sleep or concentrate on her work for days and prayed that the soul would be reborn ever since. "Don't work, I suggest you stay at home and watch over yourself,"

Misaki seems as though he wants to protest, but a firm grip of Saruhiko's hand on his shoulder made him turn around to look at his partner. "She's right you know," he says in a rather solemn tone. "You know I can always cover our expenses no problem, why are you so adamant at going to work when you know the problems that can happen?" Saruhiko asks, his voice grave and pressing and Misaki can feel the desperation in them. Brown eyes are casts downwards as Misaki thought of a good answer, why does he strongly want to go to work anyway?

"I'll feel like I'm not pulling my own weight if you're the only one working! I know Scepter 4's paycheck is huge and you won't have any problem taking care of all three of us, but it'll also make me feel like a lazy ass," Misaki bursts out. Saruhiko's eyes went wide when the shorter male said that. He knows that Misaki hates being idle and not doing anything for himself, he believes it's a sign of weakness and he'd rather be in a coma than just sitting at home waiting for time to end.

Dr. Yuzuki then clears her throat to catch the crow's attention. "Take note that you're now in a vulnerable position and that whatever you do may and will affect the child in some way possible. I have seen many mothers lost their children due to stress, too much working, not enough rest, overly stressed and many others. Even my own aunt lost her 2 month fetus a few years ago because she refuses to get any rest from work. I don't want that to happen to you, just stay at home and rest," she says with a gentle and somewhat mother-like smile. Misaki couldn't say anything knowing that she's right, but he's still rather fixed on going to work.

"Don't make me pull the 'doctor's orders' on you, because I will and you won't like it," she says, the smile never leaving her face only this time it's more dark and menacing, similar to Izumo's when he's trying to show he's not pleased and yet still wanting to look as carefree as possible. Now Misaki is trapped, knowing Saruhiko will back her up no matter what he says. Sighing, the crow relents by nodding his head slightly and the other two beams happily.

After setting the date for the next appointment, the couple walks out of the hospital with Misaki feeling a little down after having to quit working. He had called his boss who questioned on his reason –to which he answers he has a 'serious' medical problem that'll make him unable to work for a long while- and now he's officially jobless.

"Stop looking so down, Misaki. At least this way the baby won't be hurt, and you should be more careful even if you're at home. Just call me if you need anything, a glass of water, a cup of ramen or perhaps...an extra blanket," the softness in Saruhiko's voice just hurts Misaki right down to his core. The crow merely kept silent as Saruhiko continues to drive out of the hospital's courtyard and towards the main road. He still couldn't believe that he had lost Ryuu from such a stupid accident, but now he's going to make sure he doesn't repeat that very same mistake all over again.

The two then ended up going to Bar Homra as Misaki realizes that he still haven't told his friends yet. As much as Saruhiko loathes going there, he still respects Misaki's wishes and head towards where the red clan once thrived. It's surreal that even after all these years, there hasn't been a new Red King to restore the clan's former glory, but then again it's not surprising as Reisi appeared a decade after the death of Habari Jin; his predecessor. The new Red King might not even rise in a few years for all they know, and until then, they just have to keep a heads up for a pulsing red Sword of Damocles.

The bells to the bar chime as Misaki walks in with Saruhiko trailing quietly behind him. Izumo is preparing some lunch for Anna when the two came in and welcomes them warmly. "Misaki-chan, Saru-kun, it's great seeing you two again. What brought you here?" the bartender asks as Anna turns slightly to look at the adults. Misaki took a seat next to her and Saruhiko sits next to his lover, her pinkish eyes never straying from Misaki's stomach and she makes sure to look away before they can catch her staring.

"Just some interesting news," Saruhiko says with a small smirk. Some of the other clansmen are there too such as Kamamoto, Bandou, Shouhei, Eric and Fujishima, Chitose and Dewa are probably away for their jobs since it's practically rush hour. Their eyes lit up when Saruhiko says that and waits for him to continue. Misaki was about to tell them the news but Saruhiko beat him completely to it. "Misaki's pregnant again; you can thank Megumi for doing this,"

All of the Homra members sans Anna balk in surprise and Misaki groans when Saruhiko shot him a rather smug look, knowing that the younger had planned this out. Not long after, words of congratulations are being circled around to the couple and even to Izumo when Saruhiko also said the condition Seri is in. He almost fainted when he found out the news –Saruhiko guessed that his superior never told her husband yet- and almost crashed on his counter when Shouhei hugs the man all of a sudden and congratulating him.

Misaki too is rather surprised when he found out that Izumo will be having another child, but he doesn't mind since now the children will have a playmate. That, and Chiharu deserves a younger sibling anyway.

While everyone is congratulating the couple and Izumo, they completely miss how Anna's eyes shone along with the rest of her body for a split second. The completely missed how she fishes a red marble from her pocket and stares into it. And they completely missed how deeply she frowns to the point where she completely obliterates the marble.

* * *

Ooh.. Anna is being mysterious as always, and Misaki is now on home arrest, I hope Saruhiko takes good care of him. Speaking of Saruhiko, happy birthday to our beloved blue monkey! Ahh..if only I could visit AFA Singapore, that'd be great! Unfortunately I'm busy with college, rather broke AND it's a few hundred miles away where I'd need my passport just to get in. Sad life...

Anyways, I just got around rescheduling my timetable and decided to either update on Saturday or Sunday as you see, I come home on Friday night, sleep through my Saturday morning, chat over Skype for a few hours and then write the next chapter down for the rest of the day, so basically Sunday's my best option of updating. Or Saturday night. Depends...

I'm pathetic.. (dies)

Ignore the 'woe is me' and remember to leave me some reviews! You guys are beautiful! And awesome! Oh yeah~!


	6. The Watchful Eyes

I was supposed to finish this chapter a week ago, but then I found out there was an error so I had to rewrite the whole thing again, and it was utterly exhausting... (dies) But thank you for all your kind reviews and words, they mean so, so much to me~

As much as I want to write a long author's note to tell you how much I love you and/or how much you guys mean to me and have been supporting me all these times, unfortunately it's 4am here, my brain is half dead and my arms are killing me, so I'm just gonna cut short and let you guys enjoy this chapter. This is mostly about Anna and Izumo, but mostly Anna and the reason she's so quiet.

Enjoy!

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Far from Saruhiko's and Misaki's household lies a quiet alleyway where the scums of the country mostly stays. These old rows of buildings bear witness of the previous Red King's awakenings, where the walls are burnt and scorched, and the smell of smoke still lingers after so many years. In one of the rundown houses lives a Strain with a thirst for blood of Misaki and Saruhiko, a thirst so great that he had lost his humanity in the flows of time.

"How dare them," he whispers to himself raggedly. "How dare they mess up my business and took down everything I ever worked for!" he roars vehemently and throws a piece of brick near his feet to the wall with enough force to break it into pieces.

"I'll show them no mercy, they'll pay for what they've done," he grins manically before shooting a picture of a 19-year-old Misaki and Saruhiko that's on the wall before shooting the small light bulb hanging above him into smithereens, drowning the house in darkness.

Meanwhile at bar Homra, Anna is casually rolling her marbles around in her room and synching her powers to her surrounding when one of the marbles rise up to the air and glows in a way that it even scares her. Instead of the usual gentle red it mostly emits, now the marble glows an eerie blood red colour in the light of dawn and even assaulted Anna with images the young teen never wants to see again.

"Stop..." she whispers pleadingly as images assaults her mind, causing her to clutch her head tightly and curl into a ball on her bed. "Don't do that to Misaki and Saruhiko…" she continues and grits her teeth as the images start to come in to her mind more violently than ever. Unable to handle that much pressure and pain anymore, Anna releases a cry that sends her powers out like shockwaves, cracking and breaking her windows and items.

The surrounding people too collapse from the assault, dropping to their knees and crying from the pain they received. For a few short moments that felt like an eternity, the painful sensation and images slowly disappears from Anna's mind and body, calming her once more. She breathes raggedly, trying to get her heart beating normally again. Once she regains her senses, she shakily pushes herself up from her bed using her hands, her long white hair covering her face like curtains in which she swept back messily.

"Izumo, he has to know," she says sharply, her eyes narrowed down dangerously as she swiftly jumps off the bed to get showered and ready. Over the years, Anna's powers have grown and she can now read the future, though still in bits and pieces and sometimes not highly accurate. Lately, she's been seeing Misaki's and Saruhiko's future and most of them are showing the two taking care of each other and such, but the one she had seen earlier was nothing like the previous visions.

It was red, redder than what she had seen and more sadness than she could handle, just remembering it causes Anna to shiver again and her powers threatening to leak out once more. After she had showered and ready, she slowly trudges down towards the bar counter and picks up the phone. She wants to tell Izumo, but she knows he's busy taking care of Seri and Chiharu, and Anna wouldn't want to do anything to disrupt their morning.

So she quietly waits on the stool without another word.

She waited for hours, not eating, not even moving, simply there on the bar stool as motionless as a doll. Despite looking like so, her powers are raging away, opening her other 'eyes' so that she could monitor over Misaki, Saruhiko, Izumo, Seri, and even Chiharu. I have to make sure they're safe, I'm the only one who can protect them all from the shadows, she thought fiercely. Her marbles, which she had deposited on the counter, rolls around and hitting each other in a series of noisy clacks, the blood red glow never fully disappeared.

Finally, Izumo unlocks the door and was about to step inside whilst humming a happy tune when Anna suddenly appears in front of him, scaring the living daylights out of the bartender and causing him to slip backwards to land on his backside. "Anna! How long have you been there?" he asks surprisingly as Anna extends a hand to help him up. Izumo gladly accepts her assistance and stands to his height before dusting his pants from the dust. "Don't scare me like that, Anna,"

Anna didn't say anything, merely running back to her stool and sat down without another word. Though she's like that, Izumo could notice the hesitance within her, the need to say something but is held back for some reason. "Anna," he calls her out gently. The young teen's eyes shone brightly for a short while before it disappears again.

"You know you can tell me if something is wrong," Izumo admonishes her lightly and walks over to her to pat her head gently. "Don't hide everything inside, you need to let it out once in a while especially if it's weighing you down," he continues, hoping that she would understand.

Anna continues to stay silent, but after a while she finally relents and let loose a tired sigh. "Izumo, we have to protect Misaki and Saruhiko. We can't let that person does as he pleases, and you have to protect Seri and Chiharu too," she says in a tone that sounds too desperate for Izumo's liking. The bartender couldn't understand what she's saying, he wants to understand and yet he's concerned whether he'd like what he had understand or not.

"Anna, what are you trying to tell me? That something bad will happen to me, Seri, Misaki-chan and Saru-kun?" Izumo presses her whilst trying to hide his own growing anxiety. The young teenage girl went silent, as if she could sense his hidden fear and this prompts Izumo to grip her shoulders in a strong yet gentle grip, to remind her that she's with him and that he'll keep her safe from anything or anyone that tries to harm her.

Their eyes met, strong and gentle brown staring into timid and secretive pink. "Anna, if you don't tell me what's going on, then I don't know whether I can protect Seri-chan and Chiharu-chan, since I don't know what to protect them from," he says so that the logic reaches her. Anna seems a little perplexed but Izumo continues before she could do anything else. "There are a lot of things I have to protect them from, Anna. So it'd be really helpful if I know what to expect," he finishes with a gentle smile.

Anna could see the logic in that and slowly nods her head, earning another relieved smile from Izumo. Slowly, she reaches for a marble from the counter and held it up to her eye like she normally does. Their souls intertwined and Anna shares to Izumo what she had seen, causing his eyes to widen and his body to sweat profusely.

"This can't be serious…" Izumo whispers raggedly, unable to believe what he's currently seeing. The red from the vision is just too much for the both of them, and Anna disables their connection before they both slumps to the floor panting and convulsing a little. "Is that the reason why you told me to protect Seri and Chiharu, and those two? Because of this vision?" he asks quietly and leans against the counter after he manages to regain his breath.

Anna nods solemnly and the two realizes that Saruhiko needs to know about this, or else the blue clansman would go on a rage should he finds out that someone is targeting his and Misaki's unborn child.

"Saruhiko, we have to tell him," she says quietly and Izumo agrees. They would love to call Saruhiko but unfortunately, Izumo found out that Seri had sent him off on a mission to gather Intel at a nearby garage that was presumably selling steroids and lethal chemicals, hence the two have to wait until he returns from work as it could take the whole day.

With the bar now open, they have little chance to contact anyone from Scepter 4 as people slowly start to pour in and Anna forced to sit at her usual spot at the small, rounded table. Even though he's smiling to his customers, Izumo now have a lot of things going through his mind.

At the Fushimi household, Misaki is curled up tightly on the couch as his stomach feels like it's on fire. No matter how much he eats, he would just end up puking them out again, and Saruhiko isn't making things any better with his continuous doting and babying. Growling at the fiery sensation, Misaki slowly crawls out of the couch and venture around to find the hot oil that he normally use whenever he has muscle cramps. As soon as he found it, he uncorks the bottle and pours a generous amount on his belly to soothe the pain.

He then makes his way back towards the couch and proceeds to curl there like his foetus for nearly half an hour, just so the pain recedes completely. "That stupid monkey…" he grumbles to no one in particular. "Putting the oil so high up the shelf, how the fuck does he think I can take it? And he doesn't allow me to climb something too," he continues to grumble and cursing his partner, not knowing that a stream of deadly, mutated virus now coming his way via the wind.

Lucky for him, Anna who was keeping a close eye on him manages to detect the virus and encase them in a bubble of her powers. Keeping her psyche at its sharpest, she closes her eyes to intensify her focus before obliterating each and every one of the virus so they could do no harm to Misaki and his child. Unfortunately for her, using her powers to such an extent exhausts her and she collapses from her seat, panting and breathing hard. Izumo notices this and rushes towards her while some of the other customers opted to call the ambulance.

"It's alright, everything's fine," he reassures them gently. "She's having a fever actually, but too stubborn to stay in bed," he lies as smoothly as he could before gently carrying Anna up to her room. As he lays her on her bed, she grabs his arm and fiercely tells him to contact Saruhiko, so he could see her vision and protect Misaki from further harm.

Looking into her tired but fiery pink eyes, Izumo knows they shouldn't wait any longer. "Izumo, you have to close early, you have to tell Saruhiko about the news. The second and third of the blue clan are being targeted, we can't keep this quiet," she reminds him fiercely before blacking out from exhaustion. The bartender quietly agrees and decides to close up an hour earlier than usual; causing some of his customers to wonder what had gotten into him.

At Scepter 4, Seri is utterly bemused when Izumo calls her to let Saruhiko off early for the day. "Do you really think I would release him that easily after messing up the Intel gathering that much, and his paperwork as well? I'm sorry Izumo, but he's not going anywhere right now, unless you tell me what is it that's so important that you needed his presence on the spot," she snaps at the bartender through the phone.

Izumo flinches a little at her sharp tone, noticing that she's getting easily irritated these days, a total repeat of what happened while she was carrying Chiharu a few years ago. "Calm down my dear Seri-chan," Izumo tries to placate her in his best, charismatic tone ever, only to be met with a slight growl on the other end. Despite being the second strongest in Homra once, nothing and no one can save him from the wrath of a hormonal, pregnant woman. "Anna saw something bad in her vision, a Strain from the past with a grudge for Scepter 4 and Misaki-chan," Izumo blurts out before anything else happens.

He then could hear a satisfied hum from Seri and sighs in relief quietly, though he's still not out of danger yet. "We need Saru-kun and inform him of what's going on, it seems that Strain is getting smarter and managed to mutate viruses into targeting Misaki-chan. Anna managed to intercept with her powers though," Izumo continues seriously.

Seri hums again and sighs tiredly; she's had enough of Saruhiko's antics these few days and would love to just clear the workload. Maybe sending him off earlier than usual would help clean things off. "Alright, I'll send him out earlier than usual but be sure that this isn't an unimpressive scam just so the two of you could have a drink together," she snaps harshly, causing Izumo to twitch in slight fear.

"Don't worry my darling Seri-chan, I can assure you that this is extremely serious, and we couldn't wait any longer for fear that Misaki-chan would be in a much serious trouble," Izumo promises, though deep inside he's still planning to drink some strong shots with Saruhiko, the news isn't going to be easy to tell nor accepted. Agreeing, Seri calls a reluctant Saruhiko over to release him for the day.

"And what does Kusanagi-san wants with me, exactly?" the third asks his superior in a bland tone, clearly not impressed with the adults. The moment Seri mentions 'dangerous Strain' and 'Misaki', Saruhiko dashes out without a second glance back, worried for the life of his love and their unborn child while Seri watches his retreating back with slight mirth. The remaining agents however, wonder what's going on with their two superiors, but decide to keep quiet and not ask weird questions.

After storming out of his office, Saruhiko quickly jumps into his car and makes his way towards bar Homra without even caring for the traffic rules. The faster he gets information about the Strain targeting Misaki, the faster he can protect his family from harm's way. _Those idiots, why won't they tell me earlier? Don't they know what a crucial time it is for Misaki right now?_ He thought vehemently as he rounds off a corner sharply. In just a short moment, he arrives at bar Homra and is hardly surprised to see Anna standing on the stairway.

Their eyes met for a short while before Saruhiko narrows his dangerously. Getting out of his car and slamming the door shut loudly, he stalks towards Anna, whose expression remains blank as if she hardly cares how angry the blue clansman is. "Is this your intention the whole time, Anna? Hiding something so important from me and telling me right after Misaki's almost been killed with our unborn child?" Saruhiko yells angrily at the young teen, his grip on her shoulders strong enough to cause bruises and yet Anna didn't even flinch.

"Saruhiko, stop blaming Anna, she didn't want to tell you earlier because you were at work," Izumo sounds off to Saruhiko sternly. "Come on inside, I'll tell you everything you need to know, and you might need a drink for this too," the bartender continues and invites him in. Saruhiko slowly releases his grip on Anna's shoulder, but his eyes still shows some remaining anger towards the young teen. Anna still didn't say anything.

Once Saruhiko makes himself comfortable on the bar stool, Izumo pours him a hefty glass of strong scotch before sitting on his own seat behind the counter. The thick silence in the air is tense, even to the point of being suffocating for the two of them while Anna watches silently from her usual spot. After downing his second glass, Izumo starts the conversation and Saruhiko listens without interjecting.

The serious atmosphere lasts for nearly an hour and a half, with shots taken in between and their soberness flew out the window. Anna scowls at the guys but didn't say anything, she knows that Saruhiko had gotten the message and is now trying to hide his anger. Though she couldn't see the shroud of blue surrounding Saruhiko, but she can sense the anger and hatred boiling deep inside the blue clansman, and that's good enough for her to know that he'll protect his family with everything he has.

By the time night arrives, Saruhiko and Izumo returns home feeling tired and sick from their heavy drinking but neither of their partners are willing to give them any rest.

"Monkey! Where the fuck have you been? Are you trying to give me a heart attack? And why the fuck do I smell alcohol around you?"

"Izumo! I thought I told you, strictly no drinking with Fushimi when you just needed to tell him some bad news! And for you to show such an image for our daughter, this isn't right, and put me down!"

Least to say, while the adults are having fun with each other, Anna is sitting quietly in the darkness of her room, watching over Misaki and his unborn child through her marbles. She then smiles warmly as she sees Ryuu's soul playing around in his realm without a care in the world.

* * *

Sorry for the shortness and the crappy ending, my brain farted, it stinks and all the plotbunnies ran away. I'm going to beddy bye now, do leave me a review on this chapter and tell me what you think, the next chapter will be up next week so say tuned!

(crashes and snores)


	7. The Desire

*whines* You guys... Is the previous chapter made you guys upset or something? I left for a week for college and only two reviews? I'm sad.. How am I supposed to know whether you enjoyed the story or not.. But anyways, I'm not going to be on my knees and beg for reviews, you guys are the readers, I'm the writer, so the power lies in your hands.

As promised, here's the new chapter for the story and hopefully this catches your attention. I had a rough week, so excuse the lameness and whatever crap in the story this time, had a fight with someone I care about so I'm kinda messed in the head a bit.

* * *

Five weeks have passed for the Fushimi couple without any new incidents on either Seri or Misaki, and this puts Saruhiko and Izumo on high alert, even Anna is behaving differently than usual. Multiple times have Saruhiko, Izumo and Anna gathered together at the bar, just to update each other on Misaki's and Seri's conditions and yet things are going as smoothly as they can be. Anna, who had vowed to watch over the two, is at her breaking point these past weeks as the criminal Strain remains quiet.

"I don't like it," she said in a ragged tone towards the two male adults. "That Strain isn't doing anything suspicious, quiet, and remaining low... I don't like it,"

Izumo merely patted her head in a reassuring manner when she became like that, comforted her and told her that she's doing them a huge favour for watching over the Strain. "We have Seri-chan and Misaki-chan to fuss over, we owe you big time, Anna, for keeping eye on whoever that criminal Strain is," the bartender said with a chuckle and a motherly smile towards the young teenage girl.

Anna was hesitant at first, until she sees the rare, but extremely thankful smile on Saruhiko's face, only then she allowed herself some sense of gratitude. Even so, she still keeps an extremely high guard against the Strain, directing and channelling her powers towards said Strain so that nothing more befalls Misaki or even Seri.

Now at eleven weeks of carrying, Saruhiko is more guarded around Misaki than ever before. He doesn't want anyone hostile or anything dangerous to step anywhere near his beloved. In truth, he'd prefer to keep Misaki at home, rested, well-fed, happy, and safe from harm's way. Furthermore, with the foetus growing inside him, Misaki's starting to develop some weird tastes for food.

"Misaki..." Saruhiko sighs as his love devours another banana bread topped with ice cream. "You can't keep eating that the whole day, you need to have proper breakfast if you want you and the baby to grow healthily," the blue clansman mumbles out as Misaki ignores his words yet again. Lately the crow hardly cares what he eats or when he eats them, and this puts Saruhiko on edge regarding Misaki's new, preposterous diet.

The former red clansman turns a deaf ear on what Saruhiko says until half the loaf of banana bread and half a tub of ice cream had been completely wiped clean. Sitting back on his chair with his stomach full and satisfied, Misaki turns a sharp eye on Saruhiko. "Most of the stuff we eat now tastes and smells like shit to me, I need to find something I can keep down. Besides, at least I'm eating rather than starve myself since my throat now refuses ordinary food,"

What he says makes point to the blue clansman. Misaki couldn't even stomach a normal glass of milk anymore; it has to be added with something. Biscuit crumbs, a spoonful of honey, plain water so the milk taste won't be too strong... Everything that Saruhiko couldn't even imagine how someone would even swallow such food.

Trying to get Misaki's sharp stare off of him, Saruhiko tries to change the topic. "By the way, Misaki, you have a check-up with Dr Yuzuki later on right? I've cleared my schedule, want me to come along with you?" he asks in an extremely sweet manner that made Misaki stop and stare with wide eyes.

Saruhiko's smile only grows bigger when he sees Misaki's cheeks slowly turning a beautiful, rosy red as the crow tries to hide away by acting his usual tsundere self and turning Saruhiko away. "Whatever you want, but don't come crying to me when that Cold-hearted woman decides to grab you by the neck and throws you out the second storey window..." he mumbles out without making eye contact with Saruhiko.

The blue clansman smirks when he hears that and swoops in for a peck on those rosy red cheeks before running off to get showered and ready for the check-up later on, leaving Misaki at the table more flustered and screaming obscenities at him for being a pervert.

Meanwhile at the Kusanagi household, Chiharu, who's playing with her Scepter 4 and Homra dolls, watches her parents with intense curiosity as Izumo tries to plead with Seri. "But Seri-chan, it won't do you any good if you keep drinking milkshake the whole day, you also need food," the bartender begs out to no avail as Seri continues to down her fourth cup that morning.

"If you don't want me to continue drinking this, then I suggest you get me some proper food," she snaps before slamming the cup on the table and turning away to head to work with a huff, leaving Izumo bewildered and confused on what to do. Chiharu, who's been watching the whole ordeal, tugs on her father's pants to grab his attention.

"Why not just let mommy drink milk? It's good for bones and teeth, and she and the baby likes it," she reasons with her child-like logic. Izumo smiles and carries the little girl into his arms and shows her the empty cups of milkshakes on the table, earning a curious hum from Chiharu as she tries to find out what was so wrong with her mother drinking nothing but milkshakes.

"Chiharu-chan," Izumo says in his usual motherly tone. "Mommy shouldn't drink too much of this and not eat any food, that's still not healthy. She and the baby need yummy food for them both to be healthy and happy, that's why daddy wants her to also eat something," he explains to her in the simplest logic he could think of for her.

Despite still being so young, Chiharu is exceptionally smart for her age and could smell any flaws in logic if explained to her, thus creating the 20 question between her and the person she's questioning/interrogating with. "But milkshake is yummy and healthy, and mommy and the baby are happy, so why do you need her to eat anything?" she questions Izumo with child-like curiosity, her eyes wide and unblinking as she tries to wrap her mind over her mother's strange diet and her father's lack of explanation.

Sighing, Izumo tries to explain to her how a balanced diet is crucial for the growth of her younger sibling, only to be questioned more and more by his daughter. "Daddy just wants mommy to carry your sibling alright, and even though daddy couldn't carry like mommy does, it's daddy's job to ensure mommy's health, and the baby too by making her eat lots," he concludes as Chiharu hums in wonder.

Please let this be the end, Izumo thought frantically. But the moment Chiharu opens her mouth; all his hopes are crashed and burned, down to the deepest and darkest depth of the abyss. Although he didn't expect her to ask a question such as this...

"So daddy wants mommy to eat lots and lots to make sure mommy and the baby's healthy?" she asks slowly as if finally getting the information Izumo had just told her about. The bartender nods his head without saying anything, but is completely flabbergasted when Chiharu continues. "So daddy wants to make mommy fat? No wonder daddy tries to make mommy and the bay eat healthily, Chiharu can see it now... Thank you for telling Chiharu, daddy," she concludes, wiggles down from her father's grasp and runs off giggling happily of her new knowledge.

From behind him, Izumo could feel the whipping blue aura just ready to slice him into diced meat as Seri listened to everything her daughter and husband were talking about.

"Izumo..." she hisses out as she holds her saber in a death grip. "By the time I get back, please be prepared to dodge all my attacks the best you can. Because I have no intention to sleep with minced human tonight, and I don't want our daughter to see your 'pretty red' all over the place when I slice you up," Seri warns before storming out the door in an agitated manner.

Izumo could only sigh raggedly as he finds out about his fate for the night. "Not only is her heart icy cold, but she can also lower the temperature to absolute zero with her words alone," Izumo mumbles to himself as he prepares to go to bar Homra.

In a nearby hospital, Saruhiko and Misaki are just talking to each other about the growing child within Misaki, when Dr. Yuzuki appears from one of the operating theatre beside them. "Ah, you two are here," she says out in a cheery tone the moment her eyes land on the two. "The exam room is ready to be used, but since you two were a little late, I decided to watch the surgeons perform a heart surgery," she continues while pointing to the room behind her.

"But enough with this, let's get down to business shall we? I hope you're watching over your diet, many mothers crave for some weird and unhealthy food around this stage," Dr. Yuzuki implies as they make their way down the hall and towards the examination room. Saruhiko gave Misaki a sharp sidelong glance as the crow twitches a little, but still manages to keep his composure and tells her a little lie.

_You're a smooth liar, idiot,_ Saruhiko thought with some amusement as they reach the room they're using. Once they've stepped inside and Dr. Yuzuki activating the equipment she needs to use, she then instructs Misaki to lay down on the bed as she reaches for the gel and Misaki pulling his shirt up.

"I'm impressed that no one manages to know that you're a guy," Dr. Yuzuki tries to have a small conversation with them as Saruhiko lounges near Misaki to stare at the equipment and multiple screens in the room. "Actually, when you first came in a few weeks ago, I couldn't tell that you were a guy too, you really do have feminine features," she continues to be in awe as she caresses Misaki's smooth cheek, earning a heavy blush from the crow.

"I kept telling him that he looks more effeminate with his hair long, but he doesn't believe me," Saruhiko interjects before Misaki could say anything. "Now do you believe what I told you darling? I wish we also have a little girl to share your pretty looks with, and then I can dress you up however I want," the blue clansman continues as Misaki blushes a deeper shade of red.

Narrowing his eyes, he points a sharp finger at Saruhiko. "Bastard, don't sound so lecherous! And I do NOT have effeminate features, this is the only face I was born with, and I'm manly for crying out loud!" Misaki shouts out but is quickly silenced when Dr. Yuzuki pinches his neck with a deep frown on her face. Even Saruhiko seems rather surprised and on guard when she suddenly does that, ready to protect Misaki.

"Might I remind you that this is a _hospital_, and there are many sick and injured people here so I'd like to advise you to **keep your voice down**, Fushimi Misaki-san," Dr. Yuzuki reprimands him in a voice he's never heard before. Calming down, Misaki lies back down on the bed obediently and not making a single sound until she releases his neck. The doctor stares at him for a short while more before finally letting go, but not before she gives Saruhiko an equally pointed look and gesturing to a chair next to Misaki.

Turning the machine on and slowly moving the scope around Misaki's lower belly, Dr. Yuzuki quickly searches for the glob of tissue and smiles a little when she hears the heartbeat. "Your foetus seems to be growing nicely, one and a half inch long, around the size of a fig, and the heartbeats are in the right range too," she notes down before jotting it into a book. Her fingers deftly press some buttons and the holographic projection projects outwards for the couple to see clearly.

"Even though the baby's just this big, you can see him kicking and stretching, but you won't feel anything, not even the hiccups for another month or two," she points out at the squirming ball of mass. Saruhiko and Misaki stare in wonder s they see their child moving and squirming around inside Misaki without a care in the world. "Seems like an energetic little guy, wonder who he got it from," she continues albeit in a rather teasing tone.

Saruhiko grins when he sees the image and rubs Misaki's head affectionately, surprising the crow a little when he does that. "Is it normal for Misaki to be having heartburn and constipation around this time?" the blue clansman asks Dr. Yuzuki as she pulls back on the holographic projection. Misaki tries to protest about his digestion problems but Dr. Yuzuki merely smiles at the two and nods her head.

"You needn't need to worry about constipation and heartburn; your muscles are getting relaxed, causing all those discomforts, but the good news is that you're getting more energetic and that you're able to keep more food down," Dr. Yuzuki points out happily. "Although I can't help you with whatever cravings you suddenly have," she continues with a chuckle.

After finishing off the check-up, the couple then make their way out of the hospital, with Saruhiko keeping a tight hold around Misaki's waist so the crow doesn't wander off. Plus, after seeing their child wiggling around inside Misaki through the holo projector, Saruhiko's resolve to protect the two most important people in his life only grows stronger by the second. Misaki, who has noticed Saruhiko's increasing protectiveness after they left the examination room, allows Saruhiko to hold him however he pleases without any fuss.

Shortly after the two steps into the courtyard, Misaki quietly asks Saruhiko for some mint chocolate ice cream to which Saruhiko happily complies. "Just stay here, don't go anywhere and I'll be right back with your ice cream, Misaki," he says in such a gentle tone that even Misaki couldn't create any response, even the sweet caress to his cheek couldn't snap him from Saruhiko's hypnotism.

As Saruhiko walks away towards the ice cream vendor, Misaki's eyes caught on to a couple of teenagers playing with their skateboards nearby and the adventurous side of him starts to get stirred up. After weeks of not being able to use his skateboard, Misaki itches to get on the wheels again. Slowly, he got up and makes his way towards the teens who stops as he approaches.

"Hey boys," Misaki calls out with a grin. "You guys want to see some real skateboarding trick? I'll show you some moves you'll be begging for me to teach you," he continues as his eyes glint in a way that caught the teenagers' attention. After being given a board, Misaki starts to show off all his skills until there is a small crowd of onlookers cheering for him. Meanwhile, Saruhiko watches with such anger and worry that the blue aura enshrouds his body until it lashes out like blades.

Sensing the animosity, Misaki stops completely as Saruhiko stalks towards him and pulling him away from the boards and the crowd. "What were you thinking? _What were you even __**thinking**__?_" he roars at the crow once they're out of public eye. "We just got good news that our kid is growing nicely, and you're doing such a stupid stunt! Do you want to lose Ryuu again? Do you want to mourn for him all over again?"

Misaki is quickly taken aback when he heard that, and when he sees the tears rolling off of Saruhiko's eyes and cheeks to drip down his chin. "I'm sorry..." the crow slowly apologizes as Saruhiko grips his shoulders tightly, tight enough to make him hiss and cringe from the pain. "I'm sorry, Saruhiko... I just want to feel the fun of being on the wheels again, I won't do that anymore," he continues as he tries to get out of Saruhiko's hold.

"You'd better not..." Saruhiko warns in such a cold tone that sends chills down Misaki's spine and straight into his heart. After a short, tense moment, Misaki nods his head and Saruhiko drags him out of there before getting Misaki his ice cream from another ice cream vendor a little far off from the hospital. Unknowingly to them, someone is watching from atop a building, scrutinizing their movements down to each detail.

The scent of death around this person is so strong that not even birds fly anywhere near him until he leaves the place, the image of Misaki and Saruhiko burned into the back of his mind. _I'll catch you, I'll torture you, and I'll kill you and rip your limbs one by one with my own bare hands. And when that's done, I'm going to punch a hole through your abdomen and pull that rat right out of your body before crushing it like a grape!_

In bar Homra, Anna shivers from the onslaught of murderous intent, but she holds her ground and continues to keep watch over the criminal, destroyed pieces of red marbles scattered around her and littering the pristine floor.

That night as Saruhiko sleeps on, Misaki stays awake in his bed with his eyes closed. He can hear voices in his head, one of the voices is extremely familiar, and yet there's another, faint one in the background that hardly talks.

"_Just another spirit in the spirit world,"_ Ryuu's voice answered when questioned before laughing away and fades off once again. Misaki is happy that the life source of other developing children is keeping his son company, and yet he's frustrated because that mysterious voice is the only voice he's heard other than Ryuu.

_Maybe they're best friends; maybe Ryuu isn't so good at making friends, just like the both of us,_ Misaki thought up as he continues to stay up in bed. He then jolts in surprise when he feels Saruhiko's arms wrapping around his abdomen, and apologizes for waking Saruhiko up. Saruhiko on the other hand, hardly cares and pulls Misaki closer before rubbing his slightly swollen abdomen.

"Go to sleep, Misaki. You need all the rest you can get in these crucial times, and I didn't mean to yell out at you earlier," Saruhiko apologizes quietly, but Misaki concludes that he deserved to be punished after doing such a reckless stunt. The couple stays in each other's arms for a while longer, with Saruhiko massaging Misaki's back gently and loosening the knots there as best as he could.

They stayed together like that until Saruhiko is positive that Misaki has fallen completely asleep before he too decides to rest for the night. In the spirit world, a pair of blue-brown eyes watches with curiosity.

* * *

I wanted to make Misaki was the one who made those dolls for Chiharu, but then I'd be laughing too much and the absurdity level would be too damn high..so I cut it off, hope you guys aren't disappointed, HAH! *evil laugh*

So, what do you guys think of this new chapter? Hate? Love? Meh? Ok? Well whatever it is, leave me a review and tell me what you think. And yes I've read Days of Blue, but also.. HAVE YOU GUYS SEEN THE NEW SPOON.2DI VOL 44 MAGAZINE?! Ohmygawsh I'm just spazzing over it! The SaruMi in there is making my heart go doki-doki and I cannot stop it!

THEY'RE. SLEEPING. TOGETHER! ASJKLRTYUIOFGHJKL! *dies*


	8. The Emotions

Someone has read through my mind~ (wails, then laughs) Hahaha it's ok, I was wondering when someone would notice what my plans are, but now I'm not going to say anything and let you guys figure out what I'm rambling about (laughs). And I was hoping to keep it as a continuous secret until the next few chapter too.. (pouts) And no, the criminal isn't from any of my previous stories, I'll give you a hint though (winks).

Manga.

And from there, figure out what I'm talking about~ (flies away) I hope you all enjoy this chapter, sexiness in the end, ehehe~

* * *

"What are you are dawdling around for? If this is a dangerous Strain, you'd all be screwed by now!" Seri shouts at the exhausted Scepter 4 troop. Ever since morning, Saruhiko notices that his Vice-Captain's mood is unbearably hot and fiery to the point where even Reisi is keeping a safe distance from her. "Fushimi! Come down here and perform your duties!" she shouts at the office windows where the aforementioned agent is hiding.

Saruhiko can only click his tongue at the command but ignores it, knowing it's her temper talking rather than her own power. "Fushimi-kun, are you not going out there? She did call you out," Reisi's voice could be heard talking behind him calmly. Turning around, Saruhiko leers at his King without a word, but Reisi continues to remain calm and smiles in his usual cool and cold way.

"I'm not going anywhere near her when she's like this," Saruhiko sighs out in a bored manner before returning to his desk. She gave him tons of paperwork earlier and now she expects him to run around the field with the rookies. Is she finally going insane? How does Izumo even deal with her? "Besides," he continues blandly whilst cracking his knuckles. "She seems to have gotten things under control with those rookies,"

Reisi's smile only widens with mirth when he hears that. Truly, Saruhiko never changes throughout the years even when he's married and waiting for his child to be born. Speaking of his child...

"Fushimi-kun," Reisi calls out again only to be answered with an exasperated and annoyed 'what?' from his subordinate. "How far along is your partner? I hope he's doing well with that miracle child growing inside of him. Truly, his condition is rather fascinating," the Blue King ponders with a stroke of his chin. Even though in his 30's, Reisi still looks youthful and hardly changes his looks over the years. His skin is still porcelain fair, and his eyes never losing the intensity behind them.

The Scepter 4 agent only hums in answer as his deft fingers dance across the keyboards, typing down what needs to be done. "He's still irritated at most times, but tolerable, and he's starting to show a bit even though he's only 15 weeks along," Saruhiko answers without any hint of emotion or eye contact whatsoever with his superior. "Good news is, he managed to keep most of what he eats down, though what he eats is still bizarre, and he's more energetic,"

This time it's Reisi's turn to hum as he ponders on the former Homra vanguard's condition. To show at the 15th week, now that seems rather unusual as the belly wouldn't protrude until in the next couple of weeks. But perhaps it's because the crow had been pregnant before, and that due to his age, his skin is less tight and stretches out easily. All in all, the Blue King isn't truly sure, but deep down he couldn't wait to see his subordinate's child. _I wonder who he or she will look like_, he wonders with a smile.

"Captain," Saruhiko's voice cuts through the King's thoughts like a saber slicing through the air. Calm, curious purple eyes met irritated blue ones as Saruhiko tries his hard not to cringe or even say something unnecessary to Reisi. "Please don't smile when you think about Misaki or our child like that, it's creepy, and frankly, it disturbs me,"

Reisi is quite shocked when he hears this but then his smile returns and he laughs a little at Saruhiko's disgusted reaction. "Please forgive me," the Blue King bows his head a little in apology. "I didn't mean to give out such an expression, but your mate's condition is just too intriguing for me to leave out alone, and I just have to know every one of his welfare," he says before continuing. "And I truly wonder who your child will turn out, perhaps he or she will have your facial outcome but your mate's temper, or vice versa,"

"Captain," Saruhiko says again but this time he didn't continue any further, indicating to Reisi to just drop the rather freaky, stalker-like subject so he could finish his work. Reisi nods in understanding before he bids his leave to Saruhiko. The third top agent quietly watches his Captain leaving the office with a quirked brow before returning to his work. _That guy seriously needs to go and have a girlfriend, he creeps the hell out of me sometimes_, he thought grimly as his fingers continue to type away.

Reisi laughs a little as he leaves the offices to return to his own. As far as he's known, Seri and Misaki are about at the same conception week, hence the crow is most probably just as moody and easily angered as Seri is, and also the reason Saruhiko is spending extra time in the offices. _Even I wouldn't go anywhere near Awashima-kun when she's in this mood_, Reisi thought with mirth before lithely entering his private office.

Hours passed by and lunch time slowly drawls closer. In the fields, Seri is finally releasing her exhausted underlings off to eat while Saruhiko stretches his back after sitting for so long. _It's time for me to go home and check up on what Misaki is doing, and give him his lunch too while I'm at it_, the Scepter 4 agent thought with a heaving sigh.

Misaki's appetite has gotten quite ferocious and he starts to ask even more weird food and demands, not only that, he regularly has nosebleeds and even stuffed nose too. Upon asking Dr. Yuzuki, she explained how those symptoms are quite normal and nothing to be worried over as they will pass in time. _And Misaki's gained around five pounds too..._ Saruhiko thought with a snort.

Peeking out the window, he could see the tired troops making their way inside, some of them are too wiped out to walk on their own and needed assistance from their team members. A rather sadistic grin spreads across his face when he sees that, wondering why the rookies nowadays are such softies and could hardly handle some field exercises. "But then it's the Vice-Captain when she's on a mood swing, no one wants to go anywhere near that demon," he mumbles lowly to himself as he tore his gaze away to turn off his laptop.

"Who is a demon, Fushimi?" Seri's voice suddenly sounds from behind him. His eyes grew wide for a fraction of a second before he calmly gets up from his seat, a neat stack of papers balanced precariously on his left arm while he uses his right to close the laptop. Seri's eyes narrowed when he didn't answer but she could tell from his body language that somehow he wasn't talking about her. Though she knows that he can hide his intention exceptionally well.

Sighing, he turns to face her with a bored look on his face. "Misaki is," he answers with a click of his tongue. "His crazy mood swings and constant demand for alien food made me think of him as some sort of demon from Kyoto, rather than the sweet, angelic Misaki I knew before he got pregnant again," the Scepter 4 agent explains with a lazy wave of his arm. He then strode across the room to stand in front of her, his expression bored and yet set hard.

"These are the paperwork you asked me to do earlier this morning. So far I've gotten half of them, I'll finish the other half later on after I check up on Misaki and have my lunch," Saruhiko points out whilst putting the papers on her table. Had he been like the rest of the agents, he wouldn't be able to lie so smoothly to her or even face her eye-to-eye like this. Good thing he's nothing like the others.

Seri doesn't look too happy and was about to retort back, only to feel her head spin and that she needs to sit down before anything happens to her. _Perhaps it was the heat_, she thought tiredly as she rubs her temple. Retrieving the papers from Saruhiko, she quickly dismisses him without much word and he went out of the office before anyone has a chance to stop him or ask silly questions.

Back in the office, Seri wonders if checking over Misaki every day is a good thing, but then again knowing Saruhiko; it wouldn't be all that weird to begin with.

Saruhiko trudges down the hallways and out of Scepter 4 in an instant as he grabs a lunch bento from a nearby grocery store. Since he's too busy to cook Misaki's favourite meals, normally the grocery store near the headquarters would be his primary stop, and Misaki never complained about the food anyway as he wolfed down everything that's been given to him. Making sure Misaki has his nutrients is one way for Saruhiko to contribute as Misaki becomes vulnerable from carrying the life inside him.

As Saruhiko drives home, his mind reels back to a few weeks prior when he and Anna found a henchman working for their wanted Strain criminal. The henchman was about to break into their house, but Anna managed to see through it and they both worked together to catch him. Unfortunately before they could get the identity of the Strain, the henchman killed himself as a last attempt, leaving Saruhiko frustrated. Even Anna couldn't tell who the Strain is as the image is always too dark for her to see clearly.

_A Strain from our past who seeks vengeance...but who could it be?_ _There are a lot of Strains Scepter 4 deals with,_ Saruhiko thought darkly as he continues his journey home. The trip hardly took time as he finally pulls up to his driveway, the neighbourhood quiet as it's too hot for the children to play outside, even the dogs and other pets lay down somewhere in the shade to keep cool.

Getting out of his car, Saruhiko marches up the entrance and unlocks the door swiftly, the lunch he bought for Misaki clutched tightly in his grasp. Upon entering, he could hardly hear any sounds from the inside, but as he goes in deeper, he could hear explosions and cheering from the living room. A small smile graces his lips when he realizes that Misaki is keeping himself busy by playing some videogames.

"Misaki," he calls out and is quickly answered with a 'what?' from the inside. "I got you some lunch, stop playing and eat something will you? Do you want our kid to be a midget too?" Saruhiko clicks his tongue in mock irritation. He places the lunch on the dining table and marches over towards Misaki, only to widen his eyes in shock when he sees the mountain of chocolates all around his love.

"What is all this, Misaki?" Saruhiko scolds the crow loudly, causing Misaki to jolt in surprise from his game. Curious brown eyes meet a pair of angered icy blue, though Misaki doesn't even look guilty of eating that large amount of chocolate in such a short time. "How much have you been eating? Did you went out to get all these? I know that Dr. Yuzuki said the craving is normal but this is too much!"

Saruhiko's tone went from easy scolding to an angry roar, causing Misaki to flinch a little in surprise. The crow wanted to say something, but the words are stuck at his throat, causing him to clam up and Saruhiko to get even angrier. "Get off your game and go eat something, I'm going back to Scepter 4," he finalizes and walks out the door without another word. Misaki crawls a little towards him to say something and still his throat betrays him.

Now alone, Misaki realizes his little mistake and disables his game. He knew that his craving sometimes get to him, but what is he supposed to do? If he doesn't get what his tongue wants, he'd go crazy. _It's not like you've never deal with me having food craving before_, he thought grumpily. Rising to his aching feet, Misaki trudges over to the food Saruhiko bought him and takes a whiff at the scent. Even though his nausea died down, sometimes it'll be triggered again if the food's smell isn't to his liking.

"Heh, that monkey actually bought something decent for once," the crow snorts with a smile, though his smile is strained as his tears threatens to spill down his face. "Stupid hormones, making me cry over the stupidest thing, and why am I eating so much than before anyway?" Misaki grumbles alone whilst rubbing his slowly protruding belly. Sitting down on the chair, he then proceeds to quietly eat his food while thinking of some sort of way to apologize to Saruhiko later on.

Back at Scepter 4, Saruhiko had just arrived and stalks back towards his office when Seri caught hold of his arm. Turning around to face his superior with a sharp glare, he was surprised to see her retuning the look tenfold, and with swirling pulses of aura to boot. _Crap, she's pissed_, he thought woefully and with a click of his tongue.

"Fushimi," she drawls out slowly to hide her hidden anger. He could feel her hot blood throbbing in her veins beneath her skin as she puts a hand on his shoulder. "The paperwork you gave me were all nothing but some jumble of words put together in a sorry attempt to make it as a report. I suggest you sit back down and rewrite the whole thing all over again," Seri concludes as her eyes flash blue in irritation, a sure sign she'll lash out at him with her saber if he dares to say anything.

Sighing in exasperation and nodding his head, Seri finally releases him and he slumps back to his desk_. I shouldn't have scolded Misaki like that_, he thought dejectedly as he restarts on his work. He doesn't feel motivated, he's tired and hungry, and all he wants to do is just go home and apologize to Misaki for scolding him so harshly. _I should have known better, he's not feeling himself nowadays anyway_, Saruhiko continues with his grim thoughts.

After typing away for what felt like eternity, he finally finishes his work and pops his fingers from the soreness creeping up his joints. Making sure that his reports are no longer a jumble of words, he prints them out and hands them over to Seri who suddenly has an attack of the dizzy spell, thus sending her mood into deeper depths of foulness. Saruhiko didn't stay long, and rushes away before she could say or do anything.

Before he could even step out of Scepter 4's grounds though, he receives a call from Misaki, and as one who wouldn't deny a call from his beloved, no matter how mad he was, Saruhiko answers it. "Saruhiko..." Misaki's voice drifts into his ears slowly, sounding guilty and sad. "I'm sorry..."

That sad tone breaks Saruhiko's resolve like a twig. After telling Misaki to stay put and not go anywhere or do anything, he makes a mad dash towards his car, turns it up and peels off the road as fast as he could go. "Misaki is sorry, he shouldn't be sorry, the mistake was mine and I was too stupid to realize it," Saruhiko growls to himself as he steps on the pedal as if he's going to bore it through the underside of his car.

Once he reaches home, he bursts through the door to see Misaki cooking away in the kitchen, and the smell is just wondrous to the blue clansman's nose. "Misaki..." he calls out to the crow. Misaki whirls around at the sound of his name to face Saruhiko, the blue clansman noticing that his love's posture is somewhat rigid, as if tensing in case he'll get mad again. "What are you doing?" Saruhiko continues in a gentle tone and a smile, to show Misaki that he's not mad whatsoever.

Misaki tries to act like Saruhiko is bothering him, but his body language completely betrays this as he fidgets around with his favourite pan. "I was just cooking your favourite meals, since I made you worry just now," he answers without looking at Saruhiko in the eye. "I didn't go out though, I used whatever we have left in the kitchen to cook, I swear I didn't go out," Misaki frantically tells Saruhiko as the blue clansman closes their distance.

Before Misaki could do anything else, Saruhiko brings their lips together in a long, passionate kiss that leaves Misaki's brain numb and useless. After a while, the crow seems to have realized what just happened and pushes Saruhiko away with a heavy blush on his cheeks. "Stupid monkey, what the hell do you think you're doing? That's sexual harassment!" he shrieks out while Saruhiko smirks in a rather sly and victorious way.

"What's the matter, Misaki?" he asks in a seductively low voice, a voice he knows Misaki couldn't resist as he towers over the crow, effectively trapping him against the kitchen counter. "It's not like I've never tried anything perverted on you, I've been doing the kinky and the dirty with you for many years, ever since those Strain girls hooked us up together," Saruhiko rumbles lowly, sending a chill down Misaki's spine. "Or would you like to try something new tonight?"

The red on Misaki's face could put a tomato to shame as Saruhiko's sly smirk now grows into a grin. The crow then proceed to make a dash to their bedroom to hide under the covers, while Saruhiko has other ideas. _Silly Misaki, the bedroom is where it all happen_, he thought with a lick of his tongue. Taking off his Scepter 4 jacket and vest, Saruhiko proceeds to prowl towards the bedroom, his fingers quickly unbuttoning the first couple of buttons on his shirt.

The dinner that Misaki had made for Saruhiko continues to grow colder as the night continues to grow later, since both occupants are too busy with each other to fill their stomachs. Misaki is secretly happy that Saruhiko had forgotten what happened during the day, but still angered that the stupid monkey jumped him when all he wanted to do is just bury himself in the mounts of sheets on the bed.

* * *

Hormonal pregnant women are scary..I pity my cousin's husband, and I still do..

Anyways, how'd you guys like the chapter? I had some fun writing it, with a slight pain in the middle, but that's just a teasing, the worse is yet to come in the upcoming chapters. Oh..I spoke too much (sheepish). Mmm a sexy, hormonal, hungry Saruhiko going after you..I'd die to be in that position. Ahh I'm getting shivers.. (laughs).

Oh yeah, I wrote this new story, a oneshot horror about Anna and Misaki, do spend some time reading that too, the baby needs some love and reviews~ Speaking of reviews, leave some for this chapter, next one will be up next week! Ciao~


	9. The Connection

Another week's gone and past behind us, and I got some reviews for the previous chapter, and some guesses, but I won't say anything now. (grins) You guys have to figure things out as you go along with the story. Good thing I finished this chapter early, so I decided to post it up early too, as an early Christmas present or something. But that can be other chapters, so I guess this doesn't count then.

If I sound sleepy or something, blame it on lack of sleep thanks to college. It's throwing my life into the fray and I have five masterpieces to do for 's right, I don't have exams for my art class during finals, I have a freaking EXHIBITION. So yeah..even though I've just started, it's already making me super nervous. Plus, I still have a LOT more chapters to cover up.

No pressure right?

* * *

Two weeks after the whole chocolate ordeal, things seem to be looking up for both Saruhiko and Misaki, with Misaki's pregnancy progressing rather well despite Saruhiko's nerves are on edge. The Strain remains unidentifiable, and quiet to the point where sometimes Saruhiko would annihilate Scepter 4's dojo just to release his pent up energy and anger. The rest of the Scepter 4 agents question this, but they never ask out loud for fear that their third's saber would be slicing their necks.

Saruhiko is on edge, and he knows it.

As for Misaki, he misunderstood the anger and energy for something else, so he used Saruhiko to release his own pent up, sexual energy. The moment he hit his 17th week, Misaki felt restless, off balance, and much to Saruhiko's delight, extremely horny. The crow had many times tried to push Saruhiko away for fear that he'd be hurting the baby, but his hormones would get the better of him and in the end, he'd be jumping the Scepter 4 agent.

"What are you so fussy about?" Saruhiko asks as he catches his breath from another round of mind blowing sex. Next to him, Misaki is laying on his side, his back facing Saruhiko to hide his reddening cheeks. "Sex during pregnancy is normal; it helps keep your head clear from all the crazy things that have been going on with your body lately,"

Misaki continues to stay quiet whilst pulling the blanket up to his chin. "Or is it that you feel up for another round?" Saruhiko purrs as he licks his lips. Misaki's body have gotten quite delicious these past few weeks, added with the small baby bump, it only fuels Saruhiko's hard on. "You know, if you think you can go for another few rounds, I'm up for it, I can even last the whole night if you want to..."

A fist flung out from beneath the blankets, narrowly missing Saruhiko's nose. The blue clansman clicks his tongue but hardly felt any resentment from the punch. "Stop trying to take advantage of my already crazy hormones, you crazy, sex-maniacal, perverted, horny, senseless bastard! Seventeen weeks of pregnancy and already I feel like a rabbit on Viagra, what the hell is wrong with me? Hell, what is wrong with you?" Misaki shouts about, loud enough to perhaps disturb the neighbouring houses. Saruhiko quickly silences him with a short, but rather sweet kiss.

"Don't shout you loudmouth twit," he growls in warning before looming above Misaki, pinning the crow's arms above his head and locking his legs together with his own. "You're going to wake up the whole neighbourhood, and people will wonder why we're so loud in bed every single night," Saruhiko continues, his blue eyes piercing into Misaki's wide, brown ones. There was no other word being exchanged, only a stare down between the two until Misaki's face flushes red when he finally realizes the position he's in.

Following Saruhiko's bad habit, Misaki turns his face away and clicks his tongue, prompting the blue clansman to smirk victoriously and nipping Misaki on the neck. "Whatever you stupid monkey," the crow grumbles out as Saruhiko slowly releases his pinned limbs and settle down beside him to get some much needed sleep. "You have work tomorrow don't you? Even though it's a Sunday too," Misaki continues to grumble while Saruhiko pulls the pregnant crow into his lithe yet muscular arms.

"You know how unpredictable the Captain and some Strains can be," Saruhiko assures his love and nuzzling the mop of soft, brown hair. "Even I want to just stay at home and be with you, but we have field exercises and roadblocks to do tomorrow, some nasty Strains decided to make a run for it somehow," he continues as Misaki moves around to make himself more comfortable in the blue clansman's arms. They stayed like that for a while, no words, no talking, simply staying in each other's arms until the crow falls asleep from exhaustion.

Smiling, Saruhiko kisses Misaki on the forehead lovingly and rubs his slowly growing stomach, feeling the feeble life inside it. _This is where our future is growing, all those years of pain and longing are coming to an end soon enough_, Saruhiko thought fiercely. The need to protect Misaki, and to protect the child he's growing inside him overrides any other emotion he's feeling for now. For Saruhiko, Misaki and the child means more than the world to him, and no Strain, whether dangerous or not are going to get them both.

As the night grows later, Misaki realizes that he's having some sort of dream, almost the very same dream when he first got pregnant with Ryuu. A soft white surrounding, with blue and red smoke barrier separating him from truly touching Ryuu. Looking around, he could hear Ryuu's childish voice talking to someone, but the other voice is just too soft to be picked up. _I wonder who he's talking to_, Misaki thought as he tries to take a peek through the swirling smoke barrier. Unfortunately for him, he barrier is too thick and dense, covering his vision from seeing clearly.

"Misaki, I'll be leaving for work now," Saruhiko's voice cuts through, awakening the crow from his peaceful slumber. Opening his eyes groggily, Misaki could see Saruhiko is fully dressed except his coat, his saber is tucked neatly beside his belt and the coat hung lazily on his arm. Crossing over to where Misaki is still half asleep, Saruhiko gently kisses him on the lips. "Stay at home and don't go anywhere, I'll get you some lunch later on, alright?"

Misaki only answers with a groan and a nod, it's still too early in the morning for this but this is their routine for so long, and his body has gotten used to it more or less. "Go and work, lazy monkey. I don't want to deal with whatever shit your Captain pukes up if you're late for work," Misaki grumbles and shoos Saruhiko away with a lazy wave of his hand. The blue clansman only smirks before kissing Misaki again and swiftly moving out of the house.

For the rest of the day, Misaki remains inside the house, cleaning, dusting, washing, reading, playing games, listening to songs and even watch every soap opera that he knows of. By the middle of the day, one thing stood out the most in his head. "I'm bored," he mumbles out to himself over a tub of ice cream. This is the third tub in the past couple of weeks and if Saruhiko has to buy another tub, he'll blow his head off from the unnecessary worry and stress.

Putting the tub back into the freezer and washing the spoon, Misaki paces around the house, wondering what else he could do to waste his time. Making dinner for Saruhiko is out of the question since it's only noon and Saruhiko isn't the type to eat a lot, plus with the vegetables he still hate, dinner won't even take more than two hours to cook. Sitting on the couch, Misaki then remembers about Izumo and realizes after a while that Seri is expecting too.

Clapping his hands together like an enthusiastic child, he's made up his mind. "Rather than sit here and die of boredom," he speculates with a sneer. "I might as well visit Kusanagi-san and his family a visit. At least Seri-san can tell me what to expect with my condition like this," Misaki grumbles yet still rubbing his stomach lovingly. He never blames the sickening and weird conditions of his body onto his child. No, he blames it on the hormones and why the outcomes have to be so darn nauseating.

Getting off the couch, Misaki then proceeds to get ready for his visit to the Kusanagi household. Even though Saruhiko has the car, doesn't mean he couldn't take the taxi and train there. Japan has gotten more ahead into the future than the rest of the world, so Misaki hardly finds any trouble in anything, even dishwashing have gotten ten times easier over the years.

Back at Scepter 4, Saruhiko is bored out of his mind as the Blue King continues to drone on and on about the possibilities of a dangerous Strain running on the rampant and causing the blue clan some troubles. Saruhiko, of course, knew about this particular Strain targeting the blue clansman, but what gnaws on his mind is that _why_ they're being targeted, along with Misaki.

_I should mention that detail about Misaki to him_, his conscious says for the sake of protecting his love and child. _But then again Misaki would be brought here under surveillance, he wouldn't be able to be free, oppressed and even studied upon due to his condition. And then Ayame, Yua and Megumi would be dragged in and everything would be a mess. Plus, every one of these nuisances would ask question about everything, and that'll just make things go from bad, to worse, to worst, to something utterly horrible. So no, no need to say anything_, his alter ego fought back with vehemence, so Saruhiko decides to go with the latter as the problems and troubles wouldn't have to surface and ruin his love life with Misaki.

Reisi seems to notice the contemplative look on Saruhiko's face, but it disappeared just a second after so he didn't think much of it. Despite so, his intuition as a King screams at him that Saruhiko knows something he doesn't, and that isn't something he likes. _But perhaps it just has something to do with his other half and child, I will not meddle in his family affairs_, he thought humbly.

As the meeting at Scepter 4 continues, Misaki finally makes it to the Kusanagi household and notices that a car is parked away in the garage. The former vanguard whistles a little at the size of the house and how it looks almost similar to British houses. "Kusanagi-san sure knows his taste when it comes to remodelling houses," Misaki mumbles beneath his breath as he steps up on the walkway. Clearing his throat, he presses on the door chime and waits patiently outside for Seri, Izumo or even little Chiharu to open the door.

Finally, the door creaks open and he's meet face to face with Seri in sweatpants and a plain t-shirt, Chiharu behind her, looking up at him with curious brown eyes. "Misaki-san," she says in a tone filled with surprise. "What are you doing here? Did anything happen?" she continues and gestures him inside, Chiharu bounding behind the crow happily and even asking for a piggy back ride. Seri's hair, normally in a bun is let go, the wavy blonde framing her face beautifully as it had grown down to her waist. Chiharu has hers in a pair of Chinese buns.

"Nothing happened, I came here because I wanted someone to talk to, someone who's got experience in what we're both going through now," Misaki says with a smile and a caress to his stomach. Chiharu wonders what he's talking about but Seri returns the smile and caresses her own belly with much love. "I didn't get to go long last time," Misaki starts, the pain is bearable but it still stings and hurts whenever his failed pregnancy is mentioned. "So I want some words from someone who got through all nine months,"

Of course, Seri is more than happy to share some of her experiences to him, though she did say she didn't have much morning sickness when she carried Chiharu, as opposed to the baby she's carrying now. "I do, however, have an extreme burst in my...sexual needs when I was around my seventeenth week, much like you are now when I was carrying Chiharu," she coughs out to cover some of her slight embarrassment. "Although I don't feel like doing anything with Izumo for this pregnancy, I grew tired too quickly and everything he does is irritating to me," she confesses with a sharp look in her eyes.

Misaki bursts out laughing when he hears that and Chiharu tries to keep up with their conversation, but when she deems it too boring for her child mind, she leaps off the couch to play with her dolls and watch some anime in her room as the two adults continue to converse. "Even Saruhiko gets irritating sometimes, and weird thing is, he's not even doing anything at the time," Misaki points out from his own view. True, sometimes when the blue clansman is watching TV with him, his arm draped protectively around the crow's smaller shoulders, Misaki finds it so irritating, annoying and sometimes when Saruhiko breathes too hard, he feels like smacking the blue clansman.

"But I do believe Fushimi is irritating most of the time, especially when it involves paperwork, field work and even special cases," Seri grunts out while folding her arms across her chest. Misaki agrees on that too, but reasons out that he's not irritating most of the time, sometimes his caring and love gets Misaki bursting to tears, and for unknown reasons at times.

As the two mothers talk, Saruhiko has finally been released from the confines of Scepter 4's utterly dull and boring meeting room, away from his Captain's droning words and away from the headaches that are about to blow his head apart. "I need Misaki's voice to calm me down, and I don't even care if he's going to scream at me, I just need him," Saruhiko mumbles out as he fishes his phone from his pocket. The wallpaper of his phone is none other than Misaki's picture, taken secretly while he was changing clothes after a hot shower. Putting the number on speed dial, Saruhiko makes the connection and waits for the house phone to ring, as Misaki hardly uses his cell phone.

The ringing continues on, and on, and yet no one picks up. This makes Saruhiko curious, and worried at the same time. Twice he called home, and yet Misaki did not pick up on both accounts. With fear gripping his heart and clouding his thinking, the Scepter 4 agent dashes out of the HQ, all operations he has to do, abandoned into the hands of his assistance who never even got the chance to ask what was going on. Getting into the car and starting the engine, Saruhiko makes a mad dash home, his heart thumping wildly in his chest all the while.

While Saruhiko is frantically making his way back home, Seri and Misaki are enjoying a wonderful talk together, with Seri being surprisingly mellow and friendly with a former red clansman. Normally to Misaki, the woman would still be rather cold to the opposing clan, but somehow today she seems warm and inviting, quite the opposite of what Misaki used to know about her. They talked and laughed, even playing with Chiharu and letting the little girl to play with Misaki's growing belly.

"You're naming your baby a dragon? Why?" she asks, brown eyes blinking innocently up at him as she rubs gently on Misaki's smooth skin. The crow only smiles awkwardly at her, as he's still unable to get past his awkwardness with females despite already getting used to Seri. "There are other nice names too," Chiharu continues with a pout, her attention turning back to the belly she's rubbing.

"A dragon is a mythical, powerful being. And Saruhiko and I thought it's a great name for our first son," Misaki reasons with her. True, there are other nice names to be given to a first-born boy, such as 'Ichirou', or first son which is more fitting, but the pair decided to name their boy with a powerful name, befitting as they are the third powerful for each of their clans. A 'blue-scaled dragon who breathes fire', Misaki had pointed out to Saruhiko once upon questioning.

Chiharu continues to pout, and this makes both Misaki and Seri curious as to what goes through her mind. "Only one? That's no fair..." she mumbles out before pulling the crow's shirt back over his belly, jumps off the couch and ran off to her room without even another word to the adults. Misaki was left flabbergasted when he heard the mumble, wondering what she had meant by that. Seri sees this and tries to reassure him.

"Chiharu is at the age where she talks about nonsensical things, you needn't need to worry over that. She's probably not sure if you even know your baby is a boy or a girl, and wondered why you only picked a boy's name," Seri tries to explain with a smile. Misaki seems to understand that and lets the subject drop before they both continue on with their mindless chatting.

Back with Saruhiko, he's having a serious fit since he couldn't find Misaki anywhere in the house, and decides to call the only person he can count on with this problem. Fishing out his phone, he quickly dials Izumo's number and lets the line connect. "Kusanagi-san, Misaki isn't here, I've looked everywhere and not even a note on the fridge saying he left to get the groceries. Normally he'd do that, but now he didn't and I don't know where else to look," the blue clansman explains frantically whilst pacing about the living room.

"Calm down, Saruhiko," Izumo sighs from the other line. "Anna's heard everything and now using her marbles to find him, don't worry, he'll be alright," the bartender tries to placate the irate blue clansman as gently as he could. He then suggests Saruhiko to take leave from Scepter 4 for half a day due to complications with Misaki, and invites him to the bar so he himself could see the location Misaki could be at.

"He's at your house, Izumo," Anna's house could be heard, followed by a balking Izumo who's too surprised to say anything. Saruhiko clicks his tongue when he realizes that his Vice-Captain is on break for the day, and that Misaki had whined a few times that he needed someone with pregnancy experiences to talk to as he doesn't know what to expect. Thanking Anna, Saruhiko disconnects the line and woefully returns back to Scepter 4, knowing that Misaki is safe for the time being.

_I'm going to need to call Vice-Captain, tell her to pass the phone to Misaki so I can scold him a bit. Why is he doing stupid things these few weeks?_ Saruhiko growls in an irate way before making his way back towards Scepter 4, his phone ready at his hand to give his love some gentle, yet painful tongue lashing later on.

At bar Homra, Anna shivers violently when her psyche connects with the mysterious criminal Strain as she could sense his hostility. "You will not lay a finger on Misaki and everyone else," she hisses angrily whilst hugging herself to keep from falling apart. With a burst of mental tackle, she sent the criminal reeling in pain, but the backlash is that she too took on some of the head-wracking headache.

"Anna," Izumo tries to placate the girl when she fell off her chair from the onslaught of head pain. "That's enough, you've been on that Strain's trail for weeks, you need to take a break and release some of those burden to us, we can handle that Strain," the bartender admonishes gently as he helps her back to her feet. Anna shakes her head and looks at Izumo straight in the eyes, a look that sent shivers down the man's spine.

"He can't have them, he can't have all three of them. I vowed to protect them, and that's what I'll do,"

* * *

Silly Misaki, not telling Saruhiko where you went and got yourself into trouble (snickers). But at least it's a sexy punishment, Saru would never hurt his beloved now after all, especially not in Misaki's condition like this. Do leave some reviews for this extremely beaten up author, who has class from morning 'till evening and only 5 minutes break between classes..

If you'd excuse me, I need to go off and crash.. (collapses from exhaustion)


	10. The Suspicion

"Saruhiko..." Misaki whines from his position in front of the full body mirror, his hands cupping his face all the while. Saruhiko, who's been lazing around on the bed only groans in reply and turns away from his love. "Saruhiko!" Misaki calls out again and chucks a bottle of water at the blue clansman's head. It bounces off the lazy man's head and falls to the carpeted floor, Saruhiko not even flinching or even clicking his tongue. Misaki paid no mind and turns back towards the mirror. "I'm a fucking oil reserve, look at this! I just woke up and I look like someone dumped a whole bucket of diesel on my face and-... Are you even listening to me?"

Again, Misaki chucked an item towards his mate, this time a comb. Saruhiko easily catches the comb with his reflexes without even looking up from his pillow. "Stop whining, Misaki," the blue clansman sighs with a click of his tongue. Like a panther getting up from its nap, Saruhiko rises up from the comfort of the mattress, his eyes sleepy and yet still watching Misaki like a predator stalking its prey. With the way the sun shines on his pecs, abdomen, back, and biceps, Misaki couldn't help but stare a bit.

"How can I not whine? I've never had any oil problems before!" the ex-vanguard shrieks, causing Saruhiko to groan and rolls off the bed. He's wearing nothing but a pair of faded jeans that hugs his taut legs perfectly, the zipper and button undone. "And I'm running out of clothes to wear, damn monkey," he continues on a quieter tone and with a pout. Saruhiko notices this, smirks, and stalks over to where Misaki is standing. The blue clansman then slowly proceeds to wrap his strong arms from behind Misaki, pulling the shorter male into an embrace before patting the 21-week-old baby bump.

"You sure have gotten much bigger, and healthier, Misaki" Saruhiko purrs languidly whilst rubbing his nose and mouth against Misaki's ear, hypnotizing the crow into melting into his arms and his blue eyes staring at Misaki in a way that could make anyone faint, or stare. "The baby's kicking hard, and strong, and growing at quite a fast rate. Tell you what, we'll go get some maternity clothes, and I'll treat you to whatever you want for the whole day. And you don't have to worry about your oil problem, there are hardly any pimples on you and Doctor Yuzuki did say that it's normal at this stage,"

Saruhiko's soothing voice calms Misaki and he slumps his head against Saruhiko's shoulders in a relaxed manner. At least the blue clansman is taking account on his discomfort, and doing anything he could to fix it. That's the kind of person Saruhiko is, he'll find a way to fix a problem despite what he says, or how much complaints he dished out. Even so, he won't fix for free and will demand something from whomever he's helping for. And Misaki is already prepared for whatever the monkey wants from him.

Saruhiko's arms, which was supposed to be wounded around his shoulders and neck, now moving around lower, his palms caressing the crow's chest, belly and waist. "So tonight, Misaki..." Saruhiko purrs and his mouth starts kissing his love's ears and cheeks, alarm bells are already sounding inside the crow's head. "Why not we both do something we really enjoy, and there's some extra whipped cream in the fridge, we should try that," he continues as he rubs against Misaki in a way that's hardly could be called cuddling anymore. Though the moment his arms wound back around the crow's neck, Misaki was ready.

One sharp pinch to the blue clansman's arms was all that it needs for Misaki to step out of Saruhiko's hold. "Let's go get some clothes, and you can have fun all you want," the crow deadpans. Blue eyes blink rapidly as if he couldn't believe what he heard, but Misaki is not just speedy with his movements, but his comebacks too. "In the bathroom," the crow then drops the subject on the spot and walks away, swaggering in a way to show his victory. Saruhiko is left at his spot, a little dejected and disappointed but extremely pleased. He'll have his way with Misaki; he always have, and no doubt he always will.

As the Fushimi couple goes around with their business, Anna is busy in her room at the second floor of bar Homra. The people below, along with Izumo, hardly know what she's doing alone in her room, but if one is to peek through her keyhole, they could see the whole room is shrouded with a brilliant red light emanating from her body. Anna is no longer the child she used to be, her powers had grown immense that once, Reisi had to watch over her for a while until she could control it on her own accord.

Her eyes, from its usual, quiet grey are now a bright red along with the contours of her body. Her breathing is deep, even, and calm, the pressure from her powers shook the room a little bit as her marbles spin around her like planets orbiting the sun. She had pinpoint the location of the criminal Strain after a few endless nights of strengthening her powers, and now she's going to have a word with him via telepathic link. Apparently that Strain is also just as capable as she is, though much, much weaker.

The link is connected, and she can only 'see' a man standing in the darkness, sneering at her.

Anna narrows her eyes and concentrates more, causing her marbles to spin faster and even bumping against each other in their uneven orbit. Even though her marbles are chipped and cracked, Anna hardly cares for that. "Why are you after Misaki, Saruhiko and their child?" she shouts out, both in her mind and through her mouth. She knows no one would be able to hear her as the radio is blasting to full volume downstairs. "They've done nothing wrong to you! Leave them alone!" she continues ad her room shakes a little more, dust slowly raining down from the beams.

"Don't play games with me little girl, they ruined my life if that's what you were wondering," he spats out at her, the sneer now turned to a frown which makes her falter a bit. "I was supposed to be a millionaire! Go around the world, expanding my territory and conquer everything! But those two ruined everything I've ever worked for, and that's why they'll pay!" the mysterious man roars out, sending a throbbing pain shooting up her brain and causing one of her marbles to explode on its own. Anna kneels down for a few seconds and readjusts her link; the exploded marble slowly reforms but only half of its usual size.

Anna, for the first time ever in her life, growls at the man and sends a burst of psychic attack, sending the man reeling backwards from its sheer force on his mind. "You don't play games with me, old man. Whatever you've done is your own fault, I'm sure Misaki and Saruhiko wouldn't ruin another man's life for their own sheer pleasure," she hisses out as the red glow from her body intensifies that it pours out of her room's keyhole. "You're a bad man, and I can tell you were always bad,"

The mysterious man growls and sends her his own blast of psychic attack, as strong as he could muster and cuts off the connection. Anna shrieks a little from the pain coursing through her body, nearly all her marbles exploded as the red glow slowly dissipates and she falls in a heap on the floor. Her eyes slowly returning to its original colour, but they're dimmed and unfocused as Anna struggles to move, but her body is almost as heavy as lead. Tears formed at the side of her eyes when she thinks about the pain Saruhiko had gone through after losing Ryuu, and once again his child is in danger.

_I have to warn Saruhiko, the criminal Strain is going after them_, she thought frantically as she tries to form her marbles again despite her weakened condition. Even though she doesn't know him that much, and that the connection is somewhat uneven and incomplete, she knows who that Strain is, and the whole reason he truly hates Saruhiko and Misaki so much. It isn't just some sort of revenge, it's payback. He's getting back at them for making him lose his most precious belonging, by making them lose their most precious person.

"Mogura's after Ryuu..." she whispers out hoarsely, her tears now streaming down her face like a couple of rivers.

At that particular moment, Izumo walks up towards her room, wondering why his customers are complaining for a sudden headache and a painful feeling up their hearts. The bartender suspects Anna's emotions are getting the better of her again and leaking out towards his customers as he hardly feels anything. Knocking on the door, he calls out for her and walks in, only to see the young teen sprawled on the floor half conscious. "Anna!" Izumo cries out in surprise and quickly went over to her before cradling her against his chest. "Anna, what happened? Did you have an overflow of your powers again?" the bartender continues as he massages her spine a little to help her get her motor skills back.

Anna reaches up towards Izumo, her eyes filled with determination even though her body is extremely weak from what just happened. "Izumo," she calls out to him in a hoarse voice. "I need you to warn Saruhiko, Mogura's on the move, he's targeting their child, and yours too," Anna warns before passing out in the bartender's arms. Izumo wonders in confusion, until her words finally sink into his head. Placing Anna back on her bed, Izumo fishes his phone out and calls for the very one number he desperately needs to call.

"Seri-chan, dispatch Scepter 4 as fast as you can, and whatever you do, stay in the house with Chiharu,"

The tingle down his spine is definitely not something he should be ignoring, Saruhiko knows this feeling too well and he'll be damned if he's going to walk around the shopping complex without keeping his guard up. Misaki on the other hand, is completely oblivious to the danger just lurking at the corner. "Hey Saruhiko," the crow's voice suddenly cuts through the blue clansman's thoughts and his blue eyes turn to his russet-haired lover. "You think this is a good colour on me?" the crow asks as he holds up a large red shirt to show Saruhiko. The Scepter 4 agent pulls a face at Misaki's choice of clothing and colour.

"Misaki, you already have red splattered on that head of mop you call hair, you don't need to make it more obvious by trying to blend it in any more than it should," Saruhiko sighs good-naturedly and pulls the shrieking ex-vanguard away from the shelf. "Come here, you still need lessons in fashion," he snickers as his smaller lover tries to smack him away, but Saruhiko merely tugs on him harder, though still keeping a gentle grip on Misaki's wrist.

The two continues to shop, though Saruhiko keeps a complete guard over Misaki should something or someone pops up unannounced. He was already given the orders to mobilize with the rest of his team through his pager, but he replied that he's already watching over Misaki and couldn't afford to leave his side. _So, it was Mogura who's been planning this whole thing ever since he broke out of jail all those years ago. Talk about persistence, and patience_, Saruhiko thought with a growl but keeps his animosity hidden from Misaki. Unbeknownst to him, Misaki had already sensed it and wonders what's going on.

_He's so agitated these past few weeks, wonder what's up with him_, Misaki thought ruefully as he watches Saruhiko from the corner of his eyes. Saruhiko is by the shop's entrance, watching his surrounding in what could be described as a predatory sweep, his blue eyes roaming the place frantically. Misaki continues to watch over his lover even after he's paid the maternity clothes he wanted. The crow needs to know what's been boiling Saruhiko's blood all these times. _Did I do something? Doesn't he want to be here with me in the first place?_ Curiosity turns to annoyance when Misaki thought of that. "At least say something, stupid, brainless, idiotic monkey," he mumbles under his breath.

"What are you talking about now, Misaki?" Saruhiko asks with a click of his tongue. Misaki twitches in surprise when he found out that Saruhiko heard him. But Saruhiko didn't ask about the matter any further. "Have you gotten everything that you need? You want lunch or anything?" with the way Saruhiko asks in such a nonchalant way, boils Misaki's blood a little and he huffs past Saruhiko. The blue clansman stares after the crow in surprise and calls out his name, but Misaki hardly regards him and walks towards the exit of the mall.

That's when Saruhiko felt it, a dangerous sensation from the top of the mall. "Misaki, I'm going to the toilet for a bit, stay in the car," Saruhiko calls out to Misaki's back, knowing the crow could hear him perfectly well, as does most of the people within the mall. Running in the opposite direction, Saruhiko dashes off to find the staircase connecting to the roof. The workers there barricaded him from going any further, but Saruhiko shows his Scepter 4 credentials and quickly run up the moment they let him pass through. He wasted no time at all and uses his skills to jump from the stair's railings up a few floors. Saruhiko got up to the roof in less than five minutes, his body pulsating with blue aura.

Mogura stood there, waiting for his enemy to appear. He didn't see Misaki at the parking lot, realizing Saruhiko took the underground park instead, but he did sense the bloodlust coming up towards him. The door of the roof opens with a crash, Saruhiko standing behind it with his leg up in the air to show that he had kicked it open with tremendous force that blew it off its hinges. "Nice to see you haven't run off, bastard," the blue clansman growls and stalks towards Mogura. The criminal Strain stood his ground, the dark glasses he's wearing obscured his eyes from Saruhiko's view, but his deep frown shows the blue clansman how much hate he's feeling. "What do you want from us?"

Mogura merely smiles. After escaping Scepter 4, he's completely changed his looks from wearing hoodies and goggles to black suits, tie and black pants with combat boots. Obviously, the looks of a mafia member. "I have no time to deal with the likes of you," Mogura growls and fires at Saruhiko. The agent manages to dodge in time but the bullet grazed his brow a little, making a small but painfully deep cut. With a flash bomb in his hand, Mogura smirks at Saruhiko before flipping him the finger. "I'm going to drag your kid and that fag down to hell with me," he says and activates the bomb. Saruhiko shields his eyes from the blinding light, and curses in every language he could think of when Mogura is no longer there.

When Saruhiko returns to Misaki, the crow wondered what happened to his brow. "Ah, this? It's nothing; a salesclerk accidentally nicked me there when she was holding a scissor to cut some strings. Really, don't her parents tell her not to swing scissors around?" was all Saruhiko answered with a click of his tongue. Misaki laughs at Saruhiko for being careless, but deep down he knows.

_Why are you lying, Saruhiko?_


	11. The Fight - part I

I was so stupid for not pressing the save button on the edit of the previous chapter..sheesh..

I'm sorry for the week where I didn't update the chapter, I forgot to mention that I had a trip that weekend and couldn't post that chapter, and then I came down with a horrible fever so I had to take rest, so do forgive me if the previous chapter was a bit of crap. I just got around to feel much better, but my throat's still killing me, and my head still hurts from time to time.

Well, enough chit-chat for now, this chapter is going to squeeze your heart out!

* * *

At 24 weeks and with his stomach just a little bigger than a soccer ball, Misaki finds himself struggling to keep up with the house chores, sleeping and even walking around. His back hurts, his feet hurt and most importantly, his heart hurts. The gnawing feeling that resided deep within his chest when he found out that Saruhiko is lying subtly and keeping some sort of secret is getting more painful and more obvious as the weeks went by. Misaki doesn't know what to do and often breaks down in angry sobs, due to his hormones, in the middle of the day when Saruhiko is busy at work.

_You got me in this condition, and now you're keeping secrets from me. Stupid Saruhiko, is he trying to make me suffer or have a mental breakdown? At which point do I have to be in until he's satisfied?_ Misaki thought darkly one day. He's starting to doubt whether Saruhiko actually wants Ryuu back and is slowly changing his mind. But Misaki wants the child, he longs to hold Ryuu in his arms and cradle his tiny body.

_What the fuck am I thinking? I'm a guy!_ the crow thought defiantly and snapping himself awake from his daydream. He was in the middle of vacuuming when he fell into that state, a state he's been doing a lot recently. "I have got to pull myself together, maybe I shouldn't ask Saru for so much sex these days..." he mumbles quietly whilst going back to vacuuming the living room. Ever since his 17th week, Misaki finds himself demanding more and more sex, though he knows that Saruhiko is enjoying it as much as he is, the crow is still not satisfied and wants _more_.

Shuddering, Misaki turns off the vacuum. "Yeah, I should definitely lay off the whole 'I want more sex' thing," he continues to mumble to himself as he puts away the vacuum. With his back killing him, the crow decides to take a breather on the couch where he can spend at least a little bit of his time just feeling his baby kicking around. He just got around on asking Dr. Yuzuki on why his stomach is a little bigger than last time, she happily replies it's due to the elasticity of his skin and because his stature is small, making him look bigger. Misaki happily accepts the truth in that, as long as his baby is kicking and growing normally, then he's fine with however he looks.

Sitting down and making himself comfortable on the couch, Misaki slowly strokes his belly and is immediately responded with a barrage of punches and kicks, causing the crow to wince a little at the pain. "Hey kid, take it easy with using my organs as punch bags, they're not for punching to begin with anyway," he murmurs light-heartedly at his son. Misaki knows that the baby can hear him properly now as his ears have been fully developed. The only organ still growing is his lungs, and Misaki will be damned if he allows himself to go into labour this early. Dr. Yuzuki warned him that due to his gender, his hips aren't wide enough to support a baby, so premature birth for him is very possible.

Even so, he wants to keep on carrying full term, not caring what happens to him as long as his and Saruhiko's child is born into the world healthily. Saruhiko had been worried sick at first, but now he too tries to help Misaki carry until a full nine month by providing healthy foods, simple exercises and plenty of rest and love to go around.

Thinking about Saruhiko stirred something from inside Misaki. "Hey Ryuu," Misaki talks to his belly affectionately while rubbing it. "You want to see me beat up your dad later on? Because I think with his lying, secretive attitude, he sort of deserves it, don't you think so too?" he continues and is replied with a punch shortly after. Misaki smiles when he felt his baby's response, to him, it was similar to a high-five instead. Misaki then proceeds to spend another hour there at the couch with his baby until he falls asleep.

And that's where the dream plays again like an endless loop. Once again, Misaki finds himself standing in the middle of some white spectrum, with only a blue and red smoke barrier dividing him and some unknown world. From the tiny faded spaces between the smoke, Misaki could make out a beautiful world encrusted in gold, and the smell is just heavenly. This is the first time he could see through the smoke and smell what's on the other side. His brown eyes wide when he sees a stream with milky white water on the other side, trees made out of silver and gold with berries he's never seen before, each of them the size of a human head.

"What is this place...?" he wonders to himself loudly. As he continues to peek through the gaps, he can finally make out a garden with a gazebo in the middle of it all, and two young children are talking. Misaki could make out one of the voices being Ryuu's, and the other remains a mystery. "Ryuu? Is that you kiddo?" Misaki calls out to the other side and the chattering stops. The children are too far for him to see clearly, even with his sharp eyes, but his ears could pick up their voices easily as though they're standing in front of him.

"_Sorry, but this is as far as you can go, our world is forbidden to adults,"_ the mystery voice says after a pause and Misaki finds himself waking up lying sideways on the couch. Rubbing his throbbing temple, Misaki tries to get the pain to subside but when he thought of the mystery voice again, his head feels as though it's about to split in half. It was the voice of a girl, and sounds quite snobbish at that. Huffing in defiance, Misaki slowly pushes himself upright into a sitting position before patting his belly. He's greeted with a slow punch, indicating that the baby is probably asleep inside him too. "Might as well make some dinner before that stupid monkey comes home," Misaki mumbles with a yawn.

At Scepter 4, Saruhiko is painstakingly going through every report and news article about Mogura's escape a few years ago. He had completely forgotten about that son of a gun. His blue eyes go through lines after lines of words and jumbled up texts, and all the information he had already known. _Mogura escaped prison two years after his capture and was never heard from again until now. No one knew where he went, what he did or what happened. It was as though he disappeared from the face of the planet completely_, Saruhiko thought vehemently as he goes through another article about the bust Mogura did. His eyes hurt, but if he could get even the slightest of information on who knows about Mogura, he'd be more than happy.

A whole day of research and facing the blazing screen of his laptop, and still nothing.

Sighing, Saruhiko runs a hand down his face, his glasses on the table as he needed a break from staring at the laptop. It's already evening and his shift ended half an hour ago, right now he should be in his car, heading back home but his attention is still on Mogura. "I can't leave Misaki waiting at home alone, he'll get worried and then the questions will sure follow," Saruhiko growls with a click of his tongue. Sighing heavily once more, he puts his glasses back on and turned off his laptop before packing up for the night. His Vice-Captain had head home long ago when the Blue King insisted she gets some rest.

Making sure that the office is in neat condition, with the doors and windows locked and security being on, he makes his way out of the building, passing some night-shift workers on the way and nodding a silent greeting whenever they cross path. Many of the people had noticed Saruhiko's subtle change these few years, but none said anything as they prefer the new Saruhiko. He's less stiff, his eyes doesn't look like he's about to murder somebody and his attitude have also gone up for the better.

Saruhiko, of course, doesn't know any of this. Keeping the documents that Seri wanted him to complete before the next day close to him, he swiftly makes his way towards his car and starts up the engine. Despite his calm looks on the outside, Saruhiko is a total mind wreck on the inside, his brain still trying to figure out the connection about Mogura and why the Strain suddenly decided to show up after disappearing for years. _Guy doesn't even look like he's been hitting the gym or anything special. Sure he looks more like a mafia gang member, and that he's toned up a little but what does that have anything to do with all this?_ Saruhiko continues to ask himself even as he drives up towards his house.

The only thing he knows is that Mogura is after Ryuu because they both had ruined his drug-dealing business years ago, back when Mikoto and everyone was still mostly alive, back when there was Homra and a complete red clan. Gritting his teeth, Saruhiko allows the memory to linger for a short while before diminishing them from his thoughts completely. Homra is gone, and so is the red clan along with the Red King. _Now just waiting for a new one to resurface...and it's almost a decade long already_, the blue clansman thought emotionlessly.

It took a decade before Reisi took the throne as Blue King, and even so Scepter 4 barely survived. Even right now, Homra is nothing more than a remembered word on the lips of people, its clansmen and the other clans, and just like Scepter 4 all those years ago, it's slowly crumbling. But none of those is Saruhiko's concern right now, now he's more worried that a deranged, psychotic Strain is after his unborn child, and that's a serious matter for him.

Pulling up at his house's entrance, Saruhiko cuts off the engine and relaxes himself in his car seat, there's no way he's going to go into the house looking so tensed and worrisome. He knows Misaki is suspecting him of something, and he's not going to stress his significant other with the thought that a Strain is going after their boy. _This is a messed up world, and having an idiot to share your problems with is just going to make it more messed up, twice over_, he thought grumpily. Deeming himself relaxed enough, Saruhiko steps out of the car with his files in hand.

From inside the house, Misaki could hear Saruhiko's car coming up, so he decided to peek through the curtains and see what Saruhiko is up to. He could clearly see the car parked in front of the house, but Saruhiko sure took his time getting out, and Misaki starts to suspect something isn't right. Normally the blue clansman would just take a minute or two to gather his stuff and walk out, but this time it took almost ten minutes, and that itself sends the klaxons in the crow's head to be blaring noisily. And uneasily. He couldn't see that Saruhiko was merely relaxing, thus his mind starts to make up some weird scenarios he normally wouldn't think of.

_What is he doing in there?_ Misaki wonders to himself, the newly-cooked food resting on the dining table, slowly cooling off. As Saruhiko walks in, he's completely oblivious to the fact that Misaki is just standing a couple of feet away from him, staring right at him from behind the curtains. Taking off his jacket and putting his saber away, Saruhiko promptly collapses on the couch with a groan, and inside it melted Misaki away. "Had a long day monkey?" Misaki asks as he makes his way towards the exhausted blue clansman.

Saruhiko's head snaps upwards when he finally sees Misaki coming towards him, he didn't even realize the crow was there. Groaning again, Saruhiko lets his head flop down back on one of the couch's pillows. Right now all he wants to do is just to take a nice, long and hot bath, eat dinner and fall asleep holding Misaki close and feeling their baby moving around inside the crow. "Stupidly long, and the Vice-Captain can kiss my ass if she demands the paperwork tomorrow, I'm not giving her a single crap anymore," Saruhiko grumbles under his breath that was heard clearly by the crow.

Misaki grins when he heard that, serves Saruhiko right for always messing with the woman and giving her hard times for the past few years. A temperamental, pregnant, and cold-hearted woman is not someone Saruhiko should even mess around to begin with. He now has to reap what he had sown. "You shouldn't have given her crap these days then, you know how she can be when she's pissed. But whatever, food's ready so drag your lazy ass out of the couch, I just cleaned that,"

"Misaki is so cruel, and I just wanted a hug too," Saruhiko whines pitifully when Misaki simply walks away without even a kiss. The rest of the night was uneventful for the two, Saruhiko quietly slinks away to take his shower and ate his dinner with Misaki, while the crow tries his best not to question what Saruhiko's been hiding in his sleeves for the past few weeks. No matter how much he tries, Saruhiko could tell that Misaki is bothered and dying to question him something. He just doesn't know what Misaki is so restless about.

After putting his clean dishes away, Misaki makes his way to where Saruhiko is sitting on the couch, lazily watching the late night shows when he should be doing his work. He couldn't handle it anymore, his curiosity got the better of him and he has to know. "Saruhiko," he asks in an unsure tone. Saruhiko didn't even look up at him, simply keeping his gaze on the television screen up front and answering with a grunt. "What are you hiding from me, Saruhiko?" he asks without a beat, that's when Saruhiko turns to look at him dead in the eye.

"What are you talking about?" the blue clansman's eyes are hard, and his tone is cold and not even filled with guilt. Misaki asks him the question again and he could see Saruhiko's lips thinning into a line. "I don't know what crazy idea are you talking about Misaki, I'm not hiding anything from you," Saruhiko answers defiantly. This is where Misaki's blood starts boiling. He points a finger in Saruhiko's direction; his eyes set hard in a stone cold stare.

"You think I'm some sort of idiot, Saruhiko? I noticed that you're not telling me everything these past few weeks and you're evading all the questions I threw at you. Well guess what monkey, I've had enough of your bullshit and I want answers right now," Misaki growls at Saruhiko venomously. Even the blue clansman feels threatened by those words and the old Saruhiko, the side of him that ever denies Misaki's wants and always keeps his mouth shut from saying what he feels, awakens and took over.

"You really are an idiot, one who doesn't even think or see what he wants before spewing nonsense to others. Really Misaki, you think you're the one putting up with the bullshit in this house? Saruhiko sneers before getting up the couch and looming over the now slightly petrified Misaki. "I'm the one having to deal with all your bullshits, and I've had it with you. What I do is always wrong in your eyes, always questionable and never perfect, and I tried to do everything for you too,"

By now, Misaki is unsure of what to do anymore, he couldn't hit Saruhiko for fear of the baby's health, and he couldn't even talk either when his eyes are staring into Saruhiko's cold ones, so cold that it sends shivers down Misaki's spine. "Deal with your own crap from now on Misaki; I'm seriously done with everything you threw at me,"

And with that, Saruhiko put on his Scepter 4 uniform once more and walks out of the house. Mogura who has been watching, smiles sadistically to himself.

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I hope this wasn't too short or anything.. I wanted to make it longer but it's really late right now and I got assignments to finish. Geh... (rolls eyes) Anyways, hope you guys had fun reading this one, second chapter's up next week as usual so stay tuned!

Also, Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah and have a wonderful 2014 for everyone!


	12. The Fight - part II

Woah, guys, THANK YOU for all the reviews and such, you took me by surprise! I didn't even expect that the previous chapter was going to make you jump on your seats. Guess I did my job nicely eh? (giggles evilly) Anyways, as promised, this is the new chapter following up to Saruhiko's and Misaki's fight, and Mogura planning Misaki's demise. I actually forgot to write the chapter down until Thursday, but the moment I started, I couldn't stop! So it's slightly longer than the previous chapters.

**WARNING THOUGH!** There's going to be some serious gory scene near the end. But I ease it up by putting fluffy scene at the end. Sit back, relax and enjoy this story, and don't eat or drink when reading this chapter, you might spit them back out. Teehee~

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The morning starts off as usual, with Anna having to open the bar before Izumo arrives, but when she opens the double wooden door, she's surprised to see Saruhiko leaning against the wall casually, wearing a stylish black leather jacket with a white undershirt that's tight enough to show his well grown muscles. Even his jeans are quite stylish, black with chains like how Mikoto used to wear and black combat boots. His looks doesn't even show that he's a father-to-be in the next few upcoming weeks, in fact it made him look like he had reverted back to his early 20's.

"Saruhiko..." Anna breathes out in surprise. Saruhiko never visits the bar on his own, he's normally accompanied by Misaki, or even because Izumo invited him over for a drink. Neither reasons are present at the time. "Why are you here?"

Saruhiko shrugs indifferently and pushes himself off the wall to walk inside without another word to the young teenage girl. "And where is Misaki?" she asks again, looking around the bar premises in case the skateboarder is lounging around nearby to enjoy the cool morning air, but he's nowhere in sight. Saruhiko shrugs again and takes a seat on one of the stools before pulling his phone out. This makes Anna uneasy as she knows that Saruhiko is highly protective of Misaki, and would never let the skateboarder out of his sight or not anywhere safe.

"Probably at home minding his own business like what I told him to, it's time for him to know what personal and private space means," the blue clansman mumbles out as he types something into his phone. Those words somehow chill Anna to her core, since she knows that Mogura is making a move on Misaki.

"Go back to Misaki, Saruhiko," Anna pleads and strides up to the older man, but Saruhiko paid her no mind at all. "Go back, he needs you!"

"He can take care of himself, as he had said so, if he did said so anyway," Saruhiko continues to mumble without even looking at her, his gaze completely focused on the phone. Anna feels like screaming in rage, but her voice constricts and she can only make small surprised noises, her eyes widening and quivering in fear and surprise. "All I'm trying to do is protect him and our kid, but he's up to some weird delusions that I'm cheating on him or something crazy, so I couldn't be bothered anymore,"

The morning air that was supposed to be calm and refreshing now feels a little too hot and still for Anna. _I can't believe it, he's giving up on Misaki just because Misaki had a little misunderstanding_, she thought fiercely. It'll still take a while until Izumo arrives, but she needs to fix this mess up as best as she can before the bar owner chews Saruhiko off and she has to endure it without a choice. Eyes narrowing, she snatches the phone away from Saruhiko's grasp, the blue clansman clicks his tongue in annoyance.

"You need to go back, Saruhiko!" Anna shouts vehemently, every glass in the bar slowly starts to melt, including Saruhiko's glasses so he quickly took them off. "Misaki needs you right now, why are you giving up on him right now? You can't do this, Saruhiko. Mogura is on to him," she tries to convince him as best as she can but she can tell that he's just hearing her, not listening to her. Without his glasses, Saruhiko's eyes are more intimidating and sharper, sending shivers down the girl's spine when he glares at her.

Leaning down towards Anna, Saruhiko looks at her dead in the eyes. "I'm not going back, and Mogura won't go anywhere near Misaki because our housing area is a fucking maze. Nearly all the houses look the same if you don't know where you're going, and let's say if Mogura did go anywhere near Misaki, that brainless idiot can take care of himself, he can smack that motherfucker with his huge ego,"

Anna swallows thickly and backs off a bit, her powers slowly leaking out but she still manages to keep a tight reign over it, Izumo won't be pleased if he finds out most of his wineglasses have been melted from her anger. "You're making a mistake, Mogura's been tracking you and Izumo's family ever since he broke out," she continues again to make him change his mind, but Saruhiko doesn't even pay her a single attention. "Why won't you care anymore? Misaki is carrying your baby! Doesn't matter if his ego is big or small,"

Saruhiko clicks his tongue again. _Ever since Suoh Mikoto died, she sure opened up and talks more, but man this is so annoying, can't she just go away?_ Saruhiko thought darkly whilst twirling his melted glasses between his fingers, his cold icy eyes staring at a blank spot on the wall behind the counter.

"No, I can't go away," Anna answers defiantly, clearly indicating that she had heard his thoughts. "I can't let you run away from your problems again, Saruhiko. This attitude of yours has to stop," the girl presses again but is shocked silenced when the blue aura shrouds over Saruhiko and envelops his body. Those piercing blue eyes are now staring at her like how a snake would when targeting its prey, and it's forcing her brain to shut down thanks to the primal fear she's feeling.

Taking a couple of baby steps back, Anna drops the phone and Saruhiko slowly stalks towards her, his eyes cold and unforgiving before grabbing his phone back. "No matter what you say," the blue clansman starts and looms over the petrified young teenager. "Or what you do, you're not changing my mind at all whatsoever. I'm not going back to Misaki if he doesn't appreciate the help that I've been giving him all these years, and not just when Mogura decided to show his sorry little ass,"

With that, Saruhiko walks over back to his bar stool and plops himself down, the blue aura slowly dissipating along with his anger, but Anna can still sense traces of annoyance within the blue clansman's subconscious, and she doesn't want to make him mad anymore. She never knew that Saruhiko can be downright scary when he's mad, since she was never on his bad side before. Even so, she's not giving up on changing Saruhiko's mind about going back to Misaki, even if it isn't her that's giving the advice.

Slowly calming herself down, Anna swallows thickly again and quietly sits on the sofa adjacent of the bar counter. Izumo is arriving soon, and she'll have to tell him everything while she pays a visit to the Fushimi household, just to keep Misaki safe from harm. _If Saruhiko doesn't want to protect Misaki, then it's only fair that I do, the new life must be brought to this world_, she thought with determination. _No child should suffer because they're unable to be born..._

Quietly, the minutes passed without neither of them talking until Izumo arrives at the doorstep. The bartender is just as surprised to see Saruhiko there, and even more surprised when he sees most of his wineglasses half melted like they've been burned at a high temperature. Anna had to apologize for that, and even to Saruhiko for melting his glasses. "But really Anna," Izumo sighs exasperatedly as he takes down his ruined wineglasses. "What got you so upset that you had to melt half of these beauties?"

Anna seems embarrassed to tell, and actually quite furious with Saruhiko for not even saying anything regarding Misaki. It's as if the blue clansman had lost all his care and love to Misaki. "I'm sorry Izumo, but I'd rather not say," the young teen replies, her head bowed down low. _Not now and in front of Saruhiko at least_, she thought angrily. She excuses herself from the bar and walks out in a stride to show that she's quite cross with something, and Izumo notices that. Normally he'd understand Anna's mood swings and hormonal anger, but this one is different. This one shows that she's upset with something, upset with someone.

Turning to Saruhiko, Izumo can also make out the tell-tale expression that something had happened between him and both Anna and Misaki. The bartender knows he's walking on fire, but then again he's a red clansman, or used to be, so he's pretty much used to hot-headed guys all his life. And then there's Seri. "Saruhiko," Izumo voices out, his tone hard and indifference, knowing how hard-headed Saruhiko can be. "What's going on here? You don't seem pleased with your life right now,"

"Because I'm not happy with my life right now. But with all due respect Kusanagi-san, I'm not here to tell you a story about how fucked up it is now, I just want a strong drink so I can go back out there and catch whatever Strain is in the way," Saruhiko replies flatly whilst giving a pointed look to the bartender. His glasses, now ruined, are abandoned on the counter where the blue clansman doesn't even pay attention to it anymore. Izumo isn't happy with the answer, but hopefully he'll coax some answers out of Saruhiko soon before his customers arrive.

Meanwhile back at the Fushimi household, Misaki stays curled up on his bed, thinking of his current predicament. With Saruhiko gone, he'd have to do everything on his own, and that's when he realizes that it isn't as easy as he had thought. Due to his large belly and swollen ankles, Misaki couldn't stand for long as it tires him out easily, so cooking is definitely out of the question unless he's making toast or boiling water. And then there's the thought of climbing up the small chair to reach the higher cabinets, it's something that definitely scares Misaki to death.

All actions of making even the simplest of breakfast escapes Misaki, so he only ate a couple slices of plain bread and a glass of plain water, something that nearly made him puke back out. The vanguard had been in bed the whole time after his extremely simple breakfast. "Saruhiko..." he whines out pitifully. Misaki wanted to apologize, he wanted Saruhiko back by his side but the blue clansman turned off his phone and didn't even stayed home the whole night, leaving Misaki alone and vulnerable.

Right at that moment, his doorbell rang.

Anna races towards the Fushimi household as fast as her legs can carry her. She's by no means tall nor does she have long legs, but her strides are fast and to Anna, that's an asset that can get her to Misaki as soon as possible. She had sensed it, Mogura knew that Misaki would be left alone, powerless and defenceless, completely open for an attack, so she has to protect Misaki and his child as best as she can. Turning around a corner and dodging people left and right, Anna continues on the path that leads to the couple's housing area.

Due to it being the morning rush hour, Anna can't use the train, taxi or any other transport lest she wants to be caught in the flow, hence the reason she opted to run. Fishing out one of her marbles from her pocket, she peers through it while keeping her other senses attuned to the world surrounding her so she wouldn't have to bump into anything while still running. Her eyes widen when she sees Misaki getting off his bed to go down and answer the door. _No Misaki, please don't_, she thought frantically. Anna would've used her powers to send the skateboarder to his knees but if she does that, she'd also end up hurting the child.

Feeling useless, she pushes her body and legs to go faster. Her legs ache and her heart is beating wildly in her ribcage, oxygen couldn't get into her lungs fast enough and she quickly feels out of breath. In a last, desperate attempt, she slows down to a jog and pulls out her phone, she can't do this alone.

Back at bar Homra, Saruhiko is still keeping his situation in the dark while Izumo continuously yet subtly pester him into talking it out. At that moment, Izumo's phone rang and he quickly answers it, Saruhiko looking sceptical at the bartender as if he knows who had called. Pushing himself out from his seat, Saruhiko paid Izumo for his drink and was about to step out when the bartender suddenly slams his hand against the rosewood counter. The blue clansman froze in surprise, knowing he's in for it deep. Izumo would never damage his counter, especially on purpose. He loves the bar as much as he loves his family and life.

"What's this about you leaving Misaki's side for the whole night?" Izumo questions slowly. His tone icy and deadly, showing that the bartender is in no mood for games and whatever it is that Saruhiko plans to dish out. Brown eyes meet blue in a staring contest, one demand answers, and the other shows defiance. "Anna told me that Mogura is already at your doorstep, with a hatchet behind his back ready to cut Misaki open like a watermelon," the bartender continues in a hiss and narrows his eyes dangerously at the blue clansman.

Upon hearing that, Saruhiko's eyes widened and he dashes out of the bar doors as quickly as he could. Despite his earlier behaviour, Saruhiko still loves Misaki and his child deeply, wanting nothing to happen to them at all. _All I wanted was just to teach Misaki a lesson_, he thought guiltily. _I never knew that son of a gun would actually show up at our doorstep with a fucking hatchet with him, I need to get back to Misaki as fast I can before it's too late_. Fierce determination in his eyes and blue aura shrouding his body, the blue clansman leaps up onto the light poles and starts jumping from one pole to the other so he wouldn't have to deal with the morning rush beneath him.

"What do you want from me, Mogura?" Misaki screams out whilst hiding behind the large living room sofa. After getting downstairs, the hair at the back of his neck stood up and he knew something was wrong. He could sense the evil aura being channelled through the door so he had gone back to take a large cleaver for protection. Never would he realize that it was Mogura trying to take his life and Ryuu's.

Mogura let loose a psychotic laugh, his brown eyes wild, wide and completely deranged. "Isn't it obvious?" the Strain grins out as he pulls back on his hatchet that had sunken to the tiled floor. Misaki braces himself behind the couch, he had been lucky to dodge back even with his condition, but the cleaver had been knocked away right out of his hands. "You took everything precious to me, now I'm going to take what's precious to you, fag! I claim the soul of your kid!" Mogura shouts with a hysterical laugh before charging towards Misaki at full speed. Narrowing his eyes, Misaki sidesteps and delivers a well-placed punch straight towards Mogura's jaw, effectively dislocating it just as the Strain swung down with his hatchet.

The force knocked Mogura away and Misaki struggles to get to his feet before making his way to the nearest room to hide in; the toilet. _Toilet is toilet_, he thought ruefully. _At least I got some bleach and soap to blind him with_. With Mogura groaning in pain thanks to his dislocated jaw, Misaki saw his chance and ran off to the toilet before locking it from the inside. He so badly needs Saruhiko right now but the neighbours would help if they hear all the banging and crashing, as they know Misaki is alone at home and that at this time Saruhiko would be at work.

By the time the crow reached the toilet and locked it, Mogura came barrelling down and manages to strike the hatchet straight down the door. Misaki's heartbeat skyrocketed when the deadly edges nearly rip his skull open, and he can already feel the dizziness pounding in his head. _Fuck, if I go on like this, neither of us makes it_, the crow thought frantically as he tries to find something to protect himself against the psychotic Mogura. Luckily for him, the hatchet got stuck in the door, so Mogura had to pry it out again thus giving Misaki time to gather up every bleach and dissolving material he could find in the small bathroom.

There was a sudden crack and when Misaki turns around, Mogura had managed to rip apart the hatchet and made a small hole, just big enough for one of his eyes and nose to be pushed through. Somehow the Strain managed to fix his jaw along the way. "You can run, but you can't hide from me, I'll get you, chop you to pieces and sell all your organs to the black market! Human foetus makes great and rare knick-knacks you know!" the deranged Strain laughs about, spit flying everywhere as he tries to push his hand through the tiny hole and unlock the door.

"Hey bastard," Misaki calls up calmly. Mogura stops his maniacal struggling for a while and peeks at Misaki through the hole. Big mistake for him. Misaki had dumped every dissolving and cleaning agent into a small spray bottle, making the contents somehow highly corrosive in a way before spraying it straight to the unsuspected Strain's eye. Pain erupted from Mogura's eye and he doubled back, screeching and screaming in pain, allowing Misaki to burst out of the room, grip the Strain's hand tightly from covering his face and squirts the liquid in his other eye. Mogura continues to struggle as his vision slowly diminishes into darkness.

"Not so tough now huh? For a guy who can see in the dark, getting blind is your best hit," Misaki grins out victoriously. Unknown to Misaki, the Strain doesn't know the word 'give up'. His hand somehow managed to grab the hilt of the hatchet and he starts to swing around despite his blind vision. The crow only had milliseconds to dodge before the edge splits his stomach apart. Adrenalin rushing through his veins, Misaki scrambled to his feet, hoping to make space as far away from Mogura as possible.

"Misaki!" two sets of voices call out from the front door and never before Misaki had Misaki feel so relieved to hear them. Saruhiko and Anna stood by the door, watching the carnage of the house with wide eyes. Seeing Misaki from around the corner looking battered and shaken, Saruhiko quickly instructed Anna to watch over Misaki whilst he makes his way to the back toilet where Mogura is still making lots of ruckus trying to find Misaki.

"Are you alright, are you injured?" she asks as the crow sits down shakily on the floor and leaning against the wall. She could sense his fear and relief, and she can also sense the child's fear from not knowing what's going on with his carrier. Checking over Misaki's physique, Anna can only see light scratches, small bruises and sprained muscles. The worst he'd gotten was just a shallow but long cut at the side of his abdomen. "This will sting," she warns him a little and pulls the flowing blood out and forms it into a ball while covering the wound at the same time. Misaki thanked her and breathes heavily, the adrenalin slowly clearing from his system.

Anna tried her very best to calm Misaki and the child while Saruhiko battles the blinded Mogura at the back. Misaki knows that the blue clansman keeps another set of sword in the house in case of emergencies, good thing the sword can be retrieved from whichever part of the house via an ingenious linking system Saruhiko had cleverly set up when they moved in. There were noises, grunts and angry yelling from the back and Misaki could see clouds of blue aura leaking out before there was a sickeningly wet, gurgling noise.

Saruhiko trudges down the hallways slowly, his blue aura still shrouding over his body and pulsing around wildly, eyes cold, emotionless and yet still held a fair amount of sick satisfaction. In his hand holds Mogura, his throat slit open. There was blood all over the floor and on Saruhiko's clothes, but the blue clansman doesn't even care as he drops the body to the floor and licks up the dripping life fluid from his fingers. Anna turns away from the horrifying view and Misaki makes a face.

"He won't be bothering us anymore," Saruhiko deems out and stabs the blood-soaked sword right down on Mogura's lifeless body.

Some moments later, Scepter 4 finally arrives to take Mogura's dead body away. Some of the clansman whispered among each other of the utter brutality Saruhiko had dished out, but the senior members reminded them how Mogura had targeted Saruhiko and Misaki for a long time now, making their lives hell in these past few months, especially Saruhiko's. Reisi had promised to send people over to help clean their home as Misaki looks sick whenever he sees the vampiric pools of blood on the floor. The Blue King even offered a new house, but Misaki refuses to move as Ryuu's room had been done for a long time now.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Misaki apologizes after the whole ordeal is over. "You could've told me that Mogura was after me, what would happen if I didn't have the cleaver with me?" he continues in a scolding manner to which Saruhiko merely holds him tighter.

"I didn't want you to go on with your days knowing a killer is after you, I don't want to cause you that unnecessary stress," Saruhiko answers gently whilst rubbing Misaki on his back soothingly. "But I promise you that from now on, I'll be here by your side should you ever need me. I won't leave you anymore Misaki, last night was a stupid mistake, it'll never happen again."

Much to Saruhiko's surprise, Misaki gave him a full, wet and undeniably hot kiss right on the lips. "You'd better not, stupid monkey," the crow growls before snuggling in Saruhiko's hold. The blue clansman smiling to himself in satisfaction. Now to just wait for their child to be born into this world.

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ZOMG! I had way too much fun writing this chapter and was listening to Miku's_ Alice in Black Market_ song, hence the reason it was kinda pumped. At first I wanted to end it here, but then I guessed you guys fell in love with baby Ryuu, so I decided to continue on until Misaki's due. That, and also you'd be crawling down my neck and haunt my sleep, ri~ght? (nudgenudge pokepoke)

Well, do leave me reviews regarding this chapter and the next one will be up as usual next week! Stay tuned and please do not feed me sugar, but I do love me some latte. (hurrdurr) Now I'm going to watch Corpse Party: Tortured Soul OVA!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014!


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